"We are the first generation in human history to carry the entire world's information, connections, and distractions in our pockets. It's no wonder that the technology once promised to make life easier now leaves us tired and overwhelmed. Paul Leonardi refers to this as cognitive and emotional weariness, calling it digital exhaustion. But it doesn't have to be this way. With intention, we can turn our devices from sources of drain into tools of connection, empowerment, and creativity."
"Maya wakes up at 5:50 a.m. to her phone buzzing. Within seconds, she is scrolling on Instagram. A news alert pops up-she clicks it. Three text messages arrive-she switches to a different app. Her partner tries to talk to her, but she doesn't hear him because now she's checking WhatsApp. By the time Maya gets out of bed, she has made dozens of micro-decisions and context switches. Her brain has already started burning through its limited energy reserves, and she hasn't even had coffee yet."
"In my research tracking over 12,000 workers across 12 countries for two decades, I found something startling. In 2002, the average digital exhaustion score was 2.6 out of 6. By 2022, it had skyrocketed to 5.5. My nine-year-old daughter looked at the graph and said, "It looks like a snake about to strike." She was right. And that snake has struck."
Humans are the first generation to carry the world's information, connections, and distractions in their pockets, producing cognitive and emotional weariness called digital exhaustion. Research tracking over 12,000 workers across 12 countries for two decades found average digital exhaustion rose from 2.6 (2002) to 5.5 (2022). Frequent micro-decisions and context switches—exemplified by morning phone routines—rapidly deplete limited mental energy. Digital exhaustion is a physiological response to sustained attention fragmentation rather than a personal failing. Intentional rules and device management can shift devices from sources of drain into tools for connection, empowerment, creativity, and better wellbeing.
Read at Fast Company
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