How much of your time nowadays is spent looking at a screen of any kind? That's the subject of the Tameside Radio Breakfast presenter's column this week...
It’s 32 weeks since I stepped inside Cineworld Ashton, and the moment is finally here for the return of the big screen! In fact, yesterday (Thursday) marked my second movie of the week, as I prepare to watch the highly acclaimed Nomadland.
It has won several Oscars, and stars Frances McDormand as a woman in her 60s taking off in her camper van after losing everything in the Great Recession. It’s been streaming for weeks on Disney+, but there really is nothing like seeing a film at the pictures for me.
There are so many demands on our time these days. We used to only be expected to answer emails during work hours, but nowadays many of us can be reached at any time, day or night.
Fax machines may be a thing of the past, along with the infuriating paper jams, but busy WhatsApp groups certainly are not, along with endless Zoom and Teams calls.
Even as I write this week’s column, my train of thought keeps stopping at every station along the line, as I pause to check if the ‘pings’ are anything that require my urgent attention. They rarely are!
I read an article recently about smartphone distractions, and it was food for thought. We can be sitting in the same room as someone else, but just one click on a notification takes us down a rabbit hole of browsing, which effectively transports us mentally to a different place entirely. Back in the days of Nokia brick phones, it was a lot easier to ignore the occasional text message or irritating tinny ringtone. Nowadays, modern devices are designed to keep us going back for more. They are more additive than caffeine!
Netflix made an excellent documentary about this subject last autumn called The Social Dilemma. It looked at the effects on our mental health of social media, as well as the constant demands on our time and the amount of information collected on us to boot.
All of it made for chilling viewing, and the irony wasn’t lost on me when I realised halfway through the show that I’d been scrolling through my Twitter feed as I watched it. Have you ever looked at how long you’ve browsed your phone in a day?
It’s truly terrifying! My average is over six hours a day, and whilst I use it for my Tameside Radio show notes, I’m actively working to reduce the time I spend on my screen.
I wonder if we’ll ever go full circle, and return to a life that’s not dominated by digital devices. It’s a vain and unlikely hope, but the resurgence of vinyl and cassettes gives me some optimism that everything comes back into fashion eventually. Perhaps this doesn’t apply to furry dice, Sodastream machines, the Teasmade or Ceefax, though. You can even go to health retreats where phones are banned, and that does sound rather appealing. On my last holiday abroad two years ago, I left my phone switched off in a drawer at home. I remember being a little disappointed on my return at how few messages of note I’d actually missed!
Elsewhere this week, I’ve fully embraced middle age with a trip to the garden centre. I used to dread them as a kid (sorry Mum!), but it’s a different story when you’re in your 40s.
I am now the proud owner of three cacti, but am banned from watering them, as I am capable of killing any plant just by looking at it. Ask my wife Sofia for confirmation of this.
I have also paid a couple of visits to Ashton Market, and am loving the plump, juicy, in-season strawberries. It was nice to see the Market Hall bustling with activity again.
It’s also been great to see people enjoying a meal inside pubs and restaurants again too, although I’m yet to do so. Hugs are something we can cautiously enjoy now, although bear in mind some people will be happy to leave them behind. My wife is hoping the clammy handshake never returns!
I have my second vaccination in seven days’ time, which I am really excited about. I just hope we continue on the path towards the light, after 14 months none of us will forget.
It’s certainly made me appreciate the small things in life. I just hope I can spend less time with my head buried in my phone, and enjoy them!
You can listen to Alex every weekday from 7am to 11am and on the 'Super Scoreboard' show on Saturdays from 3pm to 7pm, on Tameside Radio 103.6FM.
Read more from the Tameside Reporter
Click here for more of the latest news
Click here to read the latest edition of the paper online
Click here to find out where you can pick up a copy of the paper
Get Active this May for National Walking and Cycling Month
Willow Wood's new CEO maps out her first 100 days in post
Haul of illicit cigarettes and pouches of tobacco found in abandoned Droylsden vehicle
Police concerns grow for missing teens last seen in Ashton Asda
