''Americans Use Electronic Media 11+ Hours A Day''
This pie chart depicts the different types of electronic media adult Americans (age 18+) use each day and for how long. There are 8 different electronic devices shown: Live TV, radio, smartphone, internet on a PC, timeshifted TV, game console, DVD/ Blu Ray, and a multimedia device. Live TV occupies the most time with 4 hours and 51 minutes per day while multimedia devices use the least with only 7 minutes. The time spent using all of these devices each days adds up to a whopping 11 hours and 7 minutes. The average person is usually awake 16-18 hours per day so this means that approximately 61-69% of their waking hours are spent on electronics. Granted, some of this screen time is used for work and educational purposes but at the same time, a vast majority of it is simply just wasted time. The worst part is, these numbers representing electronic usage are by no means shrinking, and are in fact rapidly growing bigger and bigger.
This chart makes it clear that our everyday lives are being taken over by technology. Of course technology can be useful but 11 hours a day is just overkill. People are wasting time staring at a screen and immersing themselves in the lives of their favorite TV personalities, instead of focusing on their own. When only a mere 5 hours of the average adult's day is untainted by electronics, you start to wonder just how serious this addiction is. That is not even the worst part though. If adults spend this much time using technology, just imagine how much more is spent in the case of teenagers. Teenagers are well known for their constant use of their smartphones, leading to the conclusion that they spend way more time with electronics than the average 11 hours typical of the American adult. What happened to going outside and appreciating all of the beauty the world around us has to offer? People say they are "too busy" to spend some quality time outside in nature, but really we are just prioritizing our screen time instead. We have to think about just how much time we are really willing to sacrifice to electronics. Just imagine what could be done with all those wasted hours.
Not only are we wasting time spending our days on electronics, but we are also hurting our brains. The following Ted Talk explores "mental obesity", a side effect of too much time spent using technology.
This chart makes it clear that our everyday lives are being taken over by technology. Of course technology can be useful but 11 hours a day is just overkill. People are wasting time staring at a screen and immersing themselves in the lives of their favorite TV personalities, instead of focusing on their own. When only a mere 5 hours of the average adult's day is untainted by electronics, you start to wonder just how serious this addiction is. That is not even the worst part though. If adults spend this much time using technology, just imagine how much more is spent in the case of teenagers. Teenagers are well known for their constant use of their smartphones, leading to the conclusion that they spend way more time with electronics than the average 11 hours typical of the American adult. What happened to going outside and appreciating all of the beauty the world around us has to offer? People say they are "too busy" to spend some quality time outside in nature, but really we are just prioritizing our screen time instead. We have to think about just how much time we are really willing to sacrifice to electronics. Just imagine what could be done with all those wasted hours.
Not only are we wasting time spending our days on electronics, but we are also hurting our brains. The following Ted Talk explores "mental obesity", a side effect of too much time spent using technology.