‘Digital obesity’ warning from communication specialist

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gave | Thursday, March 11, 2021 – 12:36 | Last Updated: 11 03 2021 – 12:36

Akdeniz University (AU) Faculty of Communication lecturer Ayşen Yalman stated that individuals spend 7 hours a day on the internet and said, “Just as loading more calories than they can burn to the body causes obesity, it is also possible to upload more information and notifications to the mind than it can use. “why is it happening?” he said.

AÜ Communication Faculty Lecturer, Health Communications Specialist Ayşen Yalman stated that the concept of ‘digital obesity’, which has just entered our lives, means excessive and unhealthy mental obesity. Stating that the whole world has started to talk about this concept, Yalman said, “Just as loading more calories than it can burn to the body causes obesity, in the same way, loading more information and notifications than can use to the mind causes digital obesity.

DIFFERENT DIGITAL DISEASES APPEAR

Explaining that digital obesity causes some physical disorders by affecting health, Yalman said that being in front of the screen for a long time can cause muscle, skeletal pain, sleep disorders, eye diseases, psychological problems as well as digital diseases. Noting that these diseases are cyberhondric, choking monitoring, nomophobia and ego surfing, Yalman continued his words as follows:

“Ego surfing is when individuals type their names into search engines to look for information about themselves and become obsessed with it. For example, what they get is that they look at their own photos over and over again and follow how much interaction they receive. Jamming means watching TV series, movies and different content on digital platforms in rapid succession, without any time limitation. Nomophobia is also defined as the fear of individuals’ fear of internet cuts or running out of battery, and thus of not being able to access social media platforms. A very important digital illness is cyberchondria. This is for individuals to search for their own illnesses or symptoms they think they are sick on the internet and diagnose themselves with the information there. In line with their diagnosis, they start to apply their own treatments. It is a very dangerous situation. It may even end in death. “

THE WORLD IS COMBATING DIGITAL OBESITY

Stating that individuals spend 7 hours a day online, Yalman said, “This is a long time. In fact, everyone is a digital obesity candidate. We must protect ourselves from this situation. With the Covid 19 pandemic, watching digital content and the time spent on social media platforms has also increased. In fact, we lost our mental saturation point. For this reason, we are all digital obese candidates and the whole world is struggling with it today, “he said.

IT IS NOT CORRECT FOR AN INDIVIDUAL TO BE COMPLETELY AWAY FROM THE INTERNET

Emphasizing that it is wrong for the individual to distance himself from internet use and social media platforms, Yalman continued as follows:

“Because this situation can also lead individuals to withdrawal syndrome. We are not psychologists, but as communicators, we recommend the social media diet. Just as a diet based on regular nutrition is recommended in normal obesity, a similar process works in digital obesity. So using the right amount of social media in the right way. It is best to watch the content uploaded on digital platforms by spreading over time. “

Yalman stated that according to the ‘We Are Social 2021’ report, the number of internet users worldwide is 4.6 billion, and that people around the world spend about 7 hours a day on the internet, the most popular of the digital broadcasting platforms is more than 2300 movies and more than 1200 series. reminded me.