We are, all, dragging pockets full of applications. Whether it is tracking the steps or mastering a new language, there is an app to all that. The advertisement informs us that these devices will make our life easier, smarter, and being able to manage our financial affairs with little effort. However, to be truthful to ourselves, out of all truly useful utility applications, there are five applications that are nothing more than a modern day trap to our interest. So, where does the balance lie? Do applications indeed benefit us, or are they the most effective time-wasters machines that have been designed? It will all depend on the purpose of the app and our conscious use of the app.
The Helpers: Utilities of the Real Use.
The applications that are really useful to us are the ones that are intended to automate, educate, or make contact with each other without requiring endless interaction. Consider the mobile banking apps that will save you an hour of travel to reach the bank, or apps that take notes, they automatically synchronize information between the devices and you can save the idea. Productivity applications that implement the Pomodoro method, or that block distracting sites are assistive since they do not add to things but eliminate frustration or temptation. Educational apps (language learning or skills building) can be seen as assists in case of targeted 20 minutes sessions that are planned proactively, providing systematic progress. These applications make the logistics process easier and provide tangible value to your life, and its interaction ends with the completion of the task.
The Time Wasters: Made to Waste and Waste.
The time wasters are found on the other side of the digital divide. These applications are mostly social media, newsfeed and some entertainment applications which are modeled with attention economy approach. Time spent at the screen is their main measure of achievement. They employ infinite scroll, push notifications, and recommendation algorithms which ensure they have something more to consume.
The threat of this is that these time-wasting applications normally masquerade as assistants. A social media application presents itself as a device of socialization, yet in most cases it makes users feel lonelier after having browsed through carefully crafted ideal lives. A newsfeed application will keep you updated, yet tends to become a doomscroll that you spend hours on without learning anything deeper or acquiring any actionable knowledge. The psychological payoff of being informed or connected is what makes you continue to engage in the process and ultimately replaces the shallow consumption with meaningful action or rest.
The Determinant of Victory: Willfulness.
After all, the application is neutral, it is our intentionality that counts. When you open a social media application with the particular purpose of sending a birthday message to one of your friends and shut it right after, you have utilized it as a helper. When you break it open thinking you need to read one message and end up scrolling thoughtlessly 45 minutes later, then it is a time-waster. In order to realize the full benefits of our digital tools, we should also be the curators of our digital eco systems. This includes the brutal uninstallation of any application that fails the easy test over and over again: Does this app actually save me time or add demonstrable value or is it a time-waster taking away my focus and replacing passive consumption with active life? We can make sure that technology works to our advantage and not the contrary by being conscious of the things that we allow on our screens.
