How often do you check your phone or browse your social media? The Tameside Radio presenter thinks we all need a reset...
It's Stress Awareness Month, and we're being urged to take a break from social media, or at least have a think about our use of it. The Pause campaign revealed recently that we spend an average of 136 minutes a day on it, and my first thought was how many books I could read or films I could watch in that time.
As part of Operation Contact, police forces have been on the lookout for drivers using their mobile phone at the wheel, and North Yorkshire Police revealed one mum was stopped whilst driving and filming her young child dancing to the music blaring in the car...at the same time! Other motorists have been caught checking E-mails, browsing their social media feed, and even making a call, which I'm sure isn't one of the top ten uses of a smartphone these days.
I sometimes dream of a life without E-mail, so quite why you would break into the solitude of a journey to check those is anyone's guess. But, joking aside, it's a really worrying sign of our addiction to our devices that we can't just leave them alone whilst driving. One sign I spotted in Ashton recently said "make your glove box the phone box", which probably led to Generation Z asking what a phone box is. They will have no memory of Dial-A-Disc, the speaking clock, or sending a text message for 20p by typing it out from a phone box that smells like the inside of a toilet brush holder.
I get that we're all busy. But really, if you can't leave your device alone for a few minutes, maybe it is time to go cold turkey. Many experts have said mobiles should be nowhere near the bedroom, but still we plan to have an early night to catch up on some much needed shuteye, then spend an hour scrolling the latest guff on Tik Tok or Twitter.
I wonder if there is an element of addition to the endorphin rush that a 'like' gives us? There has also been an enjoyable outburst of anger from 'verified' folk on Twitter to the news that the blue bird now makes no distinction between narcissistic types who pay for a blue badge, and those who are 'legacy' famous types. The original idea was to make celebrities more accessible to us ordinary folk, but all it seems to have done is given the green light to keyboard warriors to send vitriolic bile to celebrities who really could do without the tripe in their notifications.
What good has social media done for the world? I guess we might feel more connected in some ways, but I'm sure loneliness has increased in recent years, not the other way round. Trying to arrange a pint with a mate now involves a ruddy Whatsapp group, and a million 'pings' to sort the time and venue. It's tiring. I miss the days of ringing my friends on a landline, and arranging to meet in York underneath the M&S clock on Parliament Street. And then just turning up at that time. No complications! I'm sounding old now, aren't I?
Technology is great in many ways, but how often do you see couples out for a romantic candlelit meal, staring into their devices whilst their prawn cocktail is getting soggy or calzone is getting cold? Or people who insist on photographing every single course of their meal. Or checking in at every venue. Stop it. I'm sick of it all! We need a big reset on this stuff. Or I need to squeeze my stress ball a bit tighter, and stop being so curmudgeonly. One of the two. I stand by my original point about driving though. Instant ban for anyone caught checking their e-mail at the traffic lights. Get more unmarked HGVs out to catch them at it!
In less grumpy news, I hope you have a wonderful Bank Holiday weekend, and remember calories count for half at this time of year. Enjoy the Mario movie if you're going this weekend. Enjoy the lighter evenings. I'm told the sunshine at this time of year is as strong as it is in late August, so maybe it will even be nice enough for a picnic or barbeque this weekend. The spring flowers outside Heyrod Food & Floral are looking incredible. The daffodils are out. It's blossom season. And there are even trains running from Stalybridge for a few days. Reasons to be cheerful! Happy Easter.
