As the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to reveal themselves, screens have either completely swallowed our lives, engulfed our attention and damaged our already fragile mental health; or they have been the one thing keeping us sane and allowing us to maintain social contact. It depends whom you ask.
What is not in question is that, for almost everyone, screen time in 2020 was not just up, it was exponential. From scrolling endlessly for coronavirus news to watching more Netflix than any human should to take our minds off it, to the fact that Zoom has subsumed our working lives, screens swamp our waking hours.
And the fact is, they already did before the advent of the term ‘iso’. The average adult in the US was spending about 3.5 hours a day using the internet on their phones in 2019, according to a study by analytics company Zenith.
In 2020, people were posting their screen-time summaries on social media after being horrified to learn they’re averaging eight hours a day or more. And then there’s Zoom, which went from 10 million users a day in December 2019 to 300 million a day in 2020.
The World Health Organization has issued warnings about the “health risks of excessive screen time”, which can include negative impacts on relationships and an inability to control emotional outbursts. Screens can also “take priority in a person’s life over the basic functions, such as eating, sleeping, personal hygiene and exercise”.
MENTAL HEALTH AND BIAS
Author and behaviour specialist Mark Carter says there’s no doubt that our mental health is suffering from all this screen gorging.
Denne historien er fra March 2021-utgaven av The CEO Magazine - ANZ.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra March 2021-utgaven av The CEO Magazine - ANZ.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
There Were No Unknowns For Us
Putting discipline at the core of figurehead construction helped it survive both the global financial crisis and the covid-19 pandemic, says managing director Joe Grasso.
The Future Is Digital
We are watching a lot more television as a result of the pandemic, but as the senior vice president, head of streaming for 10 viacomcbs Liz Baldwin explains, the way we view it has totally changed.
The Ultimate Investments
With the global economic recovery from the pandemic underway, many analysts are suggesting now is the time to invest – but will whisky, soybeans or bitcoin find a way into your portfolio?
Once in a LIFETIME
CO-FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR OF INTEGRITI PROJECTS ANDREW STENOS IS BUILDING MORE THAN BESPOKE HOMES. HE’S ALSO BUILDING DREAMS FOR CLIENTS WHO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANT.
PUTTING FAMILY FIRST
COUNTRY LIVING HOMES MANAGING DIRECTOR MARK RAVENSCROFT HAS OVERSEEN IMPRESSIVE GROWTH, BUT NEVER LOST SIGHT OF WHAT MAKES THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS SUCH A SUCCESS.
“A SAFER COMMUNITY IS MY MAIN PRIORITY”
ULTIMATE SECURITY CEO NASSIM SAID HAS BUILT A HIGH-TECH SECURITY ORGANISATION FROM THE GROUND UP, ALWAYS WITH COMMUNITY SAFETY IN MIND AND AN INSISTENCE ON FAMILY VALUES.
We Did It Our Way.
WHEN STEVEN SIMEONI FOUNDED TAS CITY BUILDING, HE KNEW HE WANTED TO DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY.
FROM PRECISION TO PREZZEE
A COMMERCIAL PROPERTY BARON AT 24, PRECISION GROUP BILLIONAIRE SHAUN BONÉTT HAS BUILT HIS CAREER ON UNDERSTANDING THE RETAIL MARKET. NOW HE’S INTRODUCING PREZZEE, THE DIGITAL GIFT CARD PLATFORM THAT’S CHANGING THE WAY WE GIVE.
HIGHWAY STAR
IN REGIONAL AUSTRALIA, WHERE TRUCKS ROUTINELY NAVIGATE VAST STRETCHES OF HIGHWAY, THE ROAD BETWEEN AGRIBUSINESS AND COMMUNITY IS SHORT. DENILIQUIN FREIGHTERS IS AN OLD HAND AT THAT ROUTE, WHICH CEO VICKI MEYER SAYS IS ITS MOST IMPORTANT ONE.
BENEATH THE SHEETS
A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP GOES A LONG WAY TOWARDS MENTAL WELLNESS, AND AH BEARD CEO TONY PEARSON BELIEVES THE OFT OVERLOOKED MATTRESS IS THE ESSENTIAL INGREDIENT.