Mobile technology and smartphones have been around since 1992 when IBM revealed their revolutionary Simon Personal Communicator. But it was when the first iPhone came onto the scene in 2007 that the way people used portable technology changed forever. Back then, only 17% of people owned a smartphone. By 2018, this had risen to 78%, with 95% of 16-24 year olds being the proud owners of a smartphone. In over a decade of growing digital dependence, it’s indisputable that our lives have adapted to work around the computers in our pockets.
The smartphones of today are more powerful than the mainframe computer that put man on the moon, and are faster than the computer on the NASA Orion spaceship designed to take astronauts to Mars. More than just a means of communicating with your friends and family, our mobiles can do incredible things – they are your personal assistant, camera, journal, habit tracker, event planner and miniature laptop. Today, smartphones are our primary computing device, which is unsurprising considering the accessibility and comfort that they offer. But there are plenty of disadvantages to handheld devices and our digital dependency. Luckily, a sleek phone stand offers the perfect solution to these problems and can help to transform your relationship with your smartphone.
Glued to your phone
We are so used to having our smartphones on our persons at all times, that this can lead to various unnecessary, and often costly, accidents. Anyone who has put their phone in their back pocket before will understand the instantaneous fear you feel when you realise that your fancy new iPhone has just backflipped into the toilet. Or that time you were trying to juggle your food shopping with your flashy smartphone in hand, only to drop it onto the concrete path, one metre from your door. Constantly holding or carrying our phones on us often results in expensive repairs to fix cracked screens, water damage, and dead batteries.
By using a phone stand, you can remove the risk of untimely phone repair bills and transform your mobile into a hands-free device. Obviously, the smartphones of today have plenty of hands-free features. You can ring your Mum using your Bluetooth headphones while making a cup of tea, or ring your boss on the way to the office using your car’s built-in handsfree. But this doesn’t prevent your phone slipping out of your pocket onto your hardwood floor while wrestling your laundry into the washing machine.
Having a specific place to put your phone at home or at the office prevents careless accidents from occurring. It also has the added benefit of preventing you from losing your phone on a daily basis or wasting time trying to remember where you’ve left it. Our range of tablet and phone stands offer a variety of ways to integrate smart device stands into every room of your home – so there is always a place to put your smartphone to keep it out of harm’s way.
The smartphone iHunch
Our beloved smartphones and devices have transformed our postures – and not in a good way. Watching Youtube videos of cats on our commute, catching up on Netflix in bed, mindlessly scrolling through social media in an array of unnatural positions. According to Dr Kenneth K. Hansraj, the chief spine surgeon at the New York Spine Surgery & Rehabilitation Medicine, looking down at your mobile is like having a 60-pound weight on your neck. This places stress on your spine, increasing your risk of early wear & tear. The common posture you’ll see exhibited by nearly every commuter on the morning train has been rather comically dubbed the iHunch (stretched-out neck, sunken shoulders and arms drawn into the torso). And it’s not just your neck and spine under strain.
The smartphone slump has also had an effect on your wrist positioning. Evolution moves pretty slowly, and the bone structures and muscles of our hands are yet to evolve to match the shape of holding your phone. This has led to common niggles including ‘texting thumb’, caused by repetitive stress injuries common from smartphone use. Phone stands can help you to use your mobile in a more ergonomic way, reducing wrist, neck and spine strains. A phone pillow stand allows you to watch your favourite TV shows or the latest sports game without craning your neck. If you’re an avid Netflix bed or sofa binger, our adjustable phone and tablet floor stand will hold your device in the ideal elevated position for ergonomic viewing. Its height-adjustable design lets you change it to suit your position, whether in bed, seated or standing.
Boost your productivity
The incessant beeping and flashing of notifications on our screens can often serve as an endless stream of distraction from our daily life. It’s almost unheard of to have your smartphone not within arm’s reach at all times – even when they’re not in our hands they are normally no further than a metre away. Trying to concentrate on an important project, or even just a catch up with a friend can be difficult with the chance of a new notification every second drawing your attention away. New research has shown that you don’t even have to be interacting with your phone for it to steal your attention away from more important tasks. The mere presence of your smartphone within reaching distance reduces your cognitive capabilities, affecting your brain’s ability to retain and process data. While turning your phone face down or putting it onto silent can help, to truly prevent your phone from taking its toll on your productivity levels you need to move it away from yourself. By placing your mobile on a phone stand, you can transform your relationship with your smartphone without having to divorce yourself from your mobile tech entirely. This will give your phone an allocated place away from your immediate reach, preventing the modern instinct to pick it up and distract you from the activity at hand.
If you want to keep your smartphone on your desk, keep it out of arm’s reach but within sight with a desk phone stand. With your mobile favourably positioned on your desk at ideal eye level to prevent neck strain, you can incorporate it into how you work. Instead of your phone being a focus sap, you can keep your hands free for other tasks while you’re working at your desk, such as using your laptop. Attend a Skype meeting using your phone while pulling up reports on your laptop. Keep an eye on the latest industry news without mindlessly scrolling or accidentally ending up on Instagram.
Having a specific place to put your phone at home can also help you be more productive at work. Frequent use of smart devices often disrupts our sleep patterns, having an impact on our productivity levels once at work. According to the report, A Decade of Digital Dependency, 40% of adults look at their phone within five minutes of waking up, while 37% check their phones just before switching off. Those aged 15 to 24 are the most addicted to their mobile tech, checking their phones every 8.6 minutes. Looking at our phones first thing in the morning and last thing at night is detrimental to getting good quality sleep. This is because digital devices such as smartphones, TVs and laptops, emit blue light.
We naturally are exposed to blue light on a daily basis through sunlight, but we are also exposed to it through man-made sources, including indoor LED lighting and digital devices. This emission of blue light over-stimulates our brains by suppressing melatonin production (the hormone that is produced by our bodies in preparation for falling asleep) which interrupts our circadian rhythm (sleep-waking cycles). This makes it harder for us to fall asleep and stay asleep at night. A poor night’s sleep leads to lower concentration and focus levels, harming our productivity during the day. But with our tablet and phone desk stand, you can keep your smart device in its proper place to keep you from late-night scrolling.
Disconnect to reconnect
You might have noticed that the latest iPhone update has come with screen-tracking, and you wouldn’t be alone in being surprised to find out how much time you spend on your phone. The average person spends over four hours on their device per day. Often, this daily dose of mobile usage is taken up connecting with others. Social media provides us with a source of connection with our friends, family and like-minded strangers across the world with a couple of taps and a way to stay in touch with distant loved ones.
But, ironically, social media is making us less social. More than half of people admit that mobile devices interrupt real-life conversations with friends and family. While 87% of millennials admitted that their phone distracts them from engaging in face-to-face conversations. It’s no wonder that there is a growing number of individuals starting digital detoxes to disconnect from their phones and reconnect with those around them.
Excessive levels of mobile reliance can also make you feel more stressed and anxious. In Ofcom’s 2018 Communications Market Report, they found that 15% of people said that being constantly online made them feel like they were always at work. While research conducted by Dr Nacy Cheever found that using your mobile keeps you in a persistent state of anxiety.
Taking a step back from your smartphone can be a way to remove yourself from this source of disruption to our personal relationships and mental wellbeing. But you don’t have to give up the digital world altogether to reap the benefits of reduced mobile usage. You might just need to put your phone slightly out of reach.
From our bathroom stand to our floor, wall and table stand for smartphones and tablets, our range of smart device stands help you to develop a healthier relationship with your mobile tech. We help you incorporate your smart devices into your life without the need for a digital detox. By naturally reducing your continuous use of your phone, you can reap the benefits of reduced mobile usage without going cold turkey on the digital world. Browse our range of phone and tablet stands or get in touch with our team to find out more.