{"id":33647,"date":"2017-06-19T00:41:31","date_gmt":"2017-06-19T04:41:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thecollegefix.com\/?p=33647"},"modified":"2017-06-19T00:41:31","modified_gmt":"2017-06-19T04:41:31","slug":"professor-promotes-digital-detox-says-shes-working-preserve-humanity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thecollegefix.com\/professor-promotes-digital-detox-says-shes-working-preserve-humanity\/","title":{"rendered":"Professor promotes \u2018Digital Detox,\u2019 says she\u2019s working to \u2018preserve humanity\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Students encouraged to \u2018look up!\u2019\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Though \u201cWellness Centers\u201d abound on college campuses, are they missing a crucial aspect of student well-being? The answer is yes, according to Liberty University\u2019s Dr. Sylvia Frejd.<\/p>\n

\u201cDigital wellness,\u201d or the ability to have positive, productive relationships with technological devices, should be prioritized, said Frejd, a minister, counselor, and professor by training, who founded the nation\u2019s first Center for Digital Wellness<\/a> at the Christian school in Lynchburg, Va.<\/p>\n

\"\"Since its 2014 launch, she said, more and more students have worked to embrace the center\u2019s mantras, which include \u201cThrive in real life\u201d and \u201cLook up!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m here to preserve humanity,\u201d Frejd<\/a> said in a telephone interview Friday with The College Fix<\/em>. \u201cFace to face contact is so important, and the more we are looking down at our screens the less we exercise the muscles of our emotional intelligence. Life is about relationships, with our parents, spouses, friends, kids, and bosses, and we cannot allow technology to erode them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Entering the center, students can relax in a conversation corner that features a fireplace, or chat at the \u201ckitchen table\u201d in the room. Its programming includes the promotion of a \u201cDigital Detox Day,\u201d during which students are encouraged to refrain from using their devices, and many other events that promote conversation over digital communication.<\/p>\n

There are many components of digital wellness, according to Frejd, and a proper relationship to technology involves more than just reducing our screen time.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not so much how many hours you\u2019ve been on technology today, it\u2019s really about what the technology is keeping you from in your real life and relationships,\u201d said Frejd, a presenter at the American Association of Christian Counselors conferences and co-author<\/a> of \u201cThe Digital Invasion: How Technology is Shaping You and Your Relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen our video games stop us from going outside with friends or our phones interrupt our dinner conversations, that is technology\u2019s negative impact,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She said she believes students can think about digital wellness like they think about nutrition: everything in moderation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not advocating that we never use technology, but we should teach its usage as we teach healthy eating,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s important to make healthy choices so that we can reach our full potential and avoid addiction.\u201d<\/p>\n

To that end, Frejd has published a workbook, \u201cOvercoming Digital Addictions: A Digital Wellness Plan.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following research out of Stanford University on technology addiction and its long term impacts, Frejd\u2019s initiative has begun to receive<\/a> more and more attention.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe main recent research finding is that our brains are being rewired for distraction and addiction,\u201d Frejd said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new term \u2018milkshake brain\u2019 describes the phenomena of our brains being shaken up, leading to an attention span of about eight seconds. Our technology is causing us to multitask, and the research out of Stanford shows that we can\u2019t do multiple things and be good at them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Certain apps, such as Snapchat, feed technology addiction more than others by creating what Frejd calls \u201can obligation to respond.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe only have so much attention and we have to conserve it. Snapchat concerns me because it draws people in and really obligates them to respond with pictures, which makes it more addictive than other apps,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Frejd\u2019s initiative has deeper implications than mere education about the addictive and distracting aspects of technology, however. She posits that an improper usage of technology interferes with an ability to reflect, meditate on, and experience the presence of God.<\/p>\n

Frejd argues that in order to \u201ckeep our God space,\u201d we must have the \u201csilence and solitude needed to reflect and focus.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery religion and spirituality requires this in some form,\u201d she told The Fix.<\/em> \u201cIf we become addicted to technology, the distraction it brings will rewire our brain to the point that we lose our capacity to contemplate God.\u201d<\/p>\n

To cultivate a better relationship with technology and lessen our addiction, Frejd recommends a \u201cdigital detox\u201d that involves \u201cmaking space between us and our technology to get breathing room.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDigital detox can just be eliminating one part of your technology (email, Facebook, etc.),\u201d Frejd said. \u201cTake a break even if it\u2019s just an hour. If you\u2019re going to the bathroom leave your phone. If you\u2019re having lunch or dinner with a friend put your phone away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frejd has also begun working to reach younger audiences in addition to those in higher education. She is currently developing a course in digital wellness for middle and high school students that is targeted toward these particular groups\u2019 usage of technology.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s interesting how many students I talk to that say they could never do the digital detox for 24 hours,\u201d she said. \u201cThis displays how hard it is for students to unplug, and how necessary it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

MORE:\u00a0\u2018Virtual safe space\u2019: Smartphone app records campus microaggressions<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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