Ordering the digital disorder

What is Digital Disorder?

Scientists have theorized that our constant access to the Internet is reshaping our brains, making them different from our predecessors. If we do not use our technology with moderation, the chance for a digital disorder to take over increases significantly.

Some of these disorders are called Nomophobia, Technoference, Fauxcellarm, Cyberchondria and "Truman Show" Delusion. Here there are the explanations of the most important ones:

Below some disorders are explained:

• Nomophobia is the fear of being disconnected; more specifically, disconnected from one's smartphone. When someone becomes stressed or anxious when they cannot use their phones for a long period of time. Researchers have found that approximately 66% of users suffer from this disorder.

• Technoference is the digital interference of smartphones when people are out together. For example, when a couple is having dinner together at a restaurant, but spending their dinner "together" surfing the internet on their phone or texting or calling.

What can I do to be sure this doesn't happen to me?

As the cases of digital disorders are on the rise, here are some tips to keep yourself safe:

• Create areas and make times when you do not use technology.

• Keep balance and moderation in your technology use.

• Never sleep with your phone or tablet in your bed or on your bedside table.

• Invest in new games which do not use technology.

How does digital disorder change the user's role in knowledge generation?

Technology allows users to share ideas or concepts much more easily and quickly than previous manners of sharing. This helps knowledge generation as different concepts or ideas can get a get a new perspective on the issue. However, the digital disorders change the user's role in knowledge generation as people are not necessarily adding to the knowledge. Users are strictly consuming and very few are generating new information.