This story is jointly published as part of the Utah College Media Collaborative, a cross-campus project bringing together emerging journalists from Salt Lake Community College, Southern Utah University, the University of Utah, Utah Tech University and Weber State University. The collaborative is an Amplify Utah project with support from PBS Utah.

Six Salt Lake Community College students recently shared their views on what they think constitutes being “chronically online” and got frank about their own online usage.

Josheanna Mortensen, a general studies major, sat in one of the upholstered chairs in the lobby of the student union between classes, using her phone to track her online time.  She totaled 15 hours for the week.

“I get the impression that people base their identity and entire existence on what’s happening online,” Mortensen said when she heard the phrase “chronically online.”

In a SLCC BruinLens episode, Munashe Tanjani, a film production technician major, conceded sadness over her generation’s (Gen Z) reliance on smartphones. She acknowledged that it was more socially acceptable for her to start small talk with someone two decades ago and thinks her generation struggles with initiating conversations.

“For me, it becomes a crutch. I find it really sad that when I’m in an elevator with someone[and] it is easier for me to pull out my phone rather than strike up a conversation.” Tanjani said.

Impact of Excessive Screen Time

A  National Institute of Health (NIH) study showed that excessive screen time can lead to sleep deprivation, which has been linked to depression and other mood disorders.

Another consequence of being chronically online—according to DaSheek Akwenye, senior director of Center for Health and Counseling at SLCC—is that we stand to lose our ability to navigate social interactions effectively,  impacting our ability to be authentic and confident in various situations, like job interviews.

“We see with some of our college students as they apply for jobs, they don’t know how to interview. They don’t know the right words to use, make eye contact or have a firm handshake. Those social norms that we used to have, we’re standing to lose because we don’t have that in-person interaction,” he said.

Different Views

According to Mortensen, excessive online activity can lead to forming opinions based solely on social media rather than using critical thinking and personal beliefs.

“I think when you are ‘chronically online’ you get ideas and opinions from social media versus using your own brain or ideology to come up with an answer,” Mortensen said.

Giselle McIntyre, a radiology major, considers five hours per day of online activity chronic. She calculated the ratio of hours online to hours in a day.

“We have 24 hours in a day. We’re not up for 24 hours of the day, so if you’re using even half  that time on a screen instead of actually socializing, that’s ‘chronically online’,” McIntyre said.

“I just think that it has positives and negatives. So many new awarenesses really [do] help,” she said. “For example, my grandma was born in the 60s. I’ve downloaded Facebook on her phone and TikTok. I see her scrolling and she said, ‘I’ve never learned half of this information.’ She finds peace with that and she’s happy.”

According to an NIH study on the impacts of internet use on older adults, social media improves older adults’ social well-being and interactions by expanding their ability to engage more fully and effectively.

On the flip side, McIntyre said she is grateful for her mother’s guidelines surrounding her online activity as a teenager.

“I was never on social media as a kid and I barely got [to use] social media my senior year of high school because of my mom. I felt left out at times, but I was more interactive, and I don’t think I got that depressive state. I got great grades and I wasn’t scrolling,” McIntyre said.

In a SLCC BruinLens discussion, Elizabeth Simmons, film production technician major and co-creator of the SLCC film production club, confessed that when she uses social media, she is willingly inviting algorithms that sway her.

“Using social media is such a weird thing to me because we know we are being manipulated by the algorithms, and we choose to participate anyway. So, it is active manipulation that we are opting into.”

Down the Rabbit Hole

According to a study in January 2022 “Harvard Business Review”, platforms are made to lead users into a social media rabbit hole that reduces the possibility of interruptions by providing bite-sized information that makes it simple to watch multiple videos or posts in succession.

Mortensen said she is a YouTube user and does not consider that addictive.

“I am a huge YouTube user but I don’t feel it’s as severe as if I was scrolling endlessly on TikTok or Instagram,” she said.

Alliance Umugwaneza, a first-year nursing student, admitted she routinely used the same app.

“I go back to TikTok excessively because I know where the app is,” she said.

Akwenye suggested that if being mindful of habits doesn’t work to reduce time spent on social media platforms, take proactive steps to limit screen time on these apps.

“The key is finding ways to be able to really limit our time on these apps whether it’s Instagram, TikTok or whatever social media platform that you might be engaging in,” he said.

Akwenye recommended hiding those apps on one’s phone to avoid seeing Instagram and automatically opening the app. He also recommended setting time limits on apps.

Losing track of time while online

Umugwaneza admitted to often losing a sense of time while online. However, once it hits her, she seeks to correct her screen time.

“Yes, that happens. The battery is full and TikTok is my best friend. Even when I don’t realize it, I’m scrolling. I forget about time,” Umugwaneza said.

Whittling away hours online is something that Claudia Bahati, who is studying to be a sonographer, is aware of and she strives to curb her time.     .

“Yes to be honest I just forget that I have other things to do so I found myself online all the time. Then I take a break from it,” she said.

A 2021 Pew Research study, about three in ten American adults are online ”almost constantly,” which is up from 21% in 2015.

Mortensen said that sometimes she is aware of spending too much time online but gives herself a little longer to watch YouTube before her self-discipline kicks in.

“You know sometimes I’m guilty of both; where I will spend another hour on there and not even realize. Then I’m like, ‘OK I need to put the phone down and get back to my responsibilities.’”

McIntyre used screens to relax during winter break, but then she noticed time slipped through her fingers while online and took appropriate action.

“I would watch a movie and another one, and when the movie has an ad come on, then I’ll just watch TikTok or I’ll play a game,” said McIntyre.  “But then I realize I have been on this screen for over five hours and think, ‘What am I doing?’”

McIntyre admits that too much time leads to some physical conditions that cause her to take a break.

“Honestly, my head starts to hurt and I kind of feel lazy, you know, and I just realized that this is not normal.”

McIntyre said boundaries are essential. “I think there definitely needs to be limitations.”

Teresa Chaikowsky reported and wrote this story as a journalism student at Salt Lake Community College.