Caught In The Web
NEXT|September 2019

Do your social media feeds leave you hungry for more? Sharon Stephenson talks to two New Zealand women who reclaimed their time from tech addiction – and tells how you can too

Caught In The Web

Have you heard the one about the woman who was so addicted to Instagram she didn’t notice her eight-month-old baby had fallen down the stairs? It’s actually no joke: this horrifying accident happened last year to a London mother of two, who admitted to UK media she was mindlessly scrolling through her phone and “sucked into the Instagram vacuum” when her baby crawled onto the landing.

“I heard a thud, then a cry,” said the 34-year-old. “Transfixed by my phone, my brain took a couple of seconds to realise that she’d tumbled down the stairs. I hadn’t even noticed she was out of sight.”

Fortunately, the baby was fine, her fall broken by the steps. However, the woman was not. “I was riddled with guilt,” she said. “I could have hurt or killed my child, and for what? For some meaningless nonsense on social media.”

As anyone with even rudimentary knowledge of social media knows, it’s easy to get sucked into a vortex of holiday snaps, cute puppies and whatever the heck that person you met once years ago is having for breakfast. Especially when it’s so

ubiquitous: figures show that around three billion people, or 40% of the world’s population, use online social media, spending a couple of hours every day sharing, liking and tweeting on these platforms. Here in New Zealand, it’s estimated around 3.5 million of us, or 74% of the population, are social media users.

SOUNDS LIKE FUN?

In his 2017 book Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked, psychologist Adam Alter suggests 88% of us can be classified as ‘overusers’, meaning we spend more than an hour each day on our phones. He says some of us spend more time on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat than any other daily activity, apart from sleeping.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 2019 من NEXT.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 2019 من NEXT.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من NEXT مشاهدة الكل
Caitlin Cady Shares Her Journey
NEXT

Caitlin Cady Shares Her Journey

Caitlin Cady always liked being in control, so the thought of meditating scared her. But once she sat down and let her thoughts leave her mind, it proved to be incredibly important to her health. She shares her journey

time-read
8 mins  |
April 2020
The Wright Direction
NEXT

The Wright Direction

Back on home soil after her stint in NYC, Rebecca Wright shares with Monique McKenzie what she thinks the future holds for the US, and why she is proud of the positive role modelling New Zealand offers her young daughter

time-read
8 mins  |
April 2020
View From The Top
NEXT

View From The Top

She’s just turned 50 and Hilary Barry is feeling happier and more comfortable in her own skin than ever before. The Seven Sharp host sits down with Phoebe Watt to talk about gratitude and why she won’t let the odd barb bring her down.

time-read
8 mins  |
March 2020
How To Magnify Your Meal
NEXT

How To Magnify Your Meal

There are certain natural foods that offer higher nutrients than others, but how do we know which to choose? Anna King Shahab looks at how we can make choices that are backed by science.

time-read
6 mins  |
March 2020
My big BREAK
NEXT

My big BREAK

Sometimes things come together in ways we could never have imagined. Sharon Stephenson speaks to three Kiwi women about the pivotal moments that helped launch their careers and businesses to success

time-read
7 mins  |
April 2020
MOTHER AND SISTER
NEXT

MOTHER AND SISTER

Linda Armstrong attended the Linwood Islamic Centre every Friday and on the day of the Christchurch mosque attack she confronted the shooter, asking him to stop. Now her daughter Angela Armstrong is going back over her mum’s footsteps to learn more about her conversion to Islam and the community she loved

time-read
6 mins  |
April 2020
The Acid Test For Anxiety
NEXT

The Acid Test For Anxiety

Microdosing involves taking tiny amounts of illegal psychedelic drugs such as LSD or magic Microdosing, the practice of taking tiny amounts of illegal psychedelic drugs, is being hailed by some as a new form of therapy. We separate the shamanism from the science in pursuit of the truth

time-read
7 mins  |
March 2020
Queen Of The Beehive
NEXT

Queen Of The Beehive

Tova O’Brien is living her career dream, leading Three’s all-female political team in parliament. She tells Sharon Stephenson about reporting from Europe’s hot spots, landing in jail, and what they really talk about in the press gallery

time-read
6 mins  |
March 2020
NEXT

Passion Project: How To Write A Romance

Have you ever secretly thought you could be the next Nora Roberts or Diana Gabaldon? Award-winning Kiwi romance novelist Bronwyn Sell takes you through her 10-step plan

time-read
7 mins  |
March 2020
The End Game
NEXT

The End Game

Everyone has their own approach to goal setting, but do some work better than others? Monique McKenzie shares the methods that will help you get to where you want to be.

time-read
7 mins  |
March 2020