SIANI FILM SHEDS LIGHT ON CELLPHONE DEPENDENCE    This column originally appeared on Wicked Local.


Siani Film Sheds Light on Cell Phone Dependence
by Jay Gillespie
What is your relationship to your phone?  Media and social science Professor Joni Siani encourages you to consider the role that your cell phone plays in your day to day experience in her book Celling Your Soul: No App for Life and also her film, Celling Your Soul, which is set to premiere at the Coolidge Corner Theatre (617-734-2501) in Brookline on September 27th. 
Celling Your Soul follows a group of young adults who agree to put away their cell phones and restrict themselves from the internet for a one week digital cleanse as part of their final project in Professor Siani’s college class.  The effort is not a challenge to see if you can simply get by without the use of these modern technological conveniences.  The point of the digital cleanse is that it affords participants the opportunity to take an introspective look at how they are socially, emotionally, and biologically affected by technology and reflect on their experience.  After a week of recorded journaling, all of the volunteers in Siani’s documentary conclude one thing regarding their reliance on the digital world, “I have a problem.” 
Taylor O’Malley, a student of Siani’s who took part in the digital cleanse, was open about her need for technology.  “I can’t answer the phone,” says O’Malley.  “I get too scared.  I will not even order pizza or anything unless it has an on-line option.”  With regard to her phone, O’Malley says, “I need it.  I need it.  I sleep with my phone in my bed.  I need my charger with me at all times.” 
Our current generation of young adults has no concept of what it would be like to live without a cell phone.  According to the Huffington Post, “84% cannot go a day without their phones.”  Says Siani, “As humans, we’re hard-wired to bond with one another and in the digital age we turn on our devices.  We post, we tweet, we text hoping to make a connection but we end up getting sad when we’re ignored.  So we try again.  When we get a response, our happy brain actually kicks out happy chemicals called dopamine.  It’s the same principle as playing a slot machine.  We think if we keep playing, we’re going to get a pay-off.” 
“Millennials are spending up to 18 hours per day in media multitasking consumption,” reports the Wall Street Journal.  
“Research is now revealing that our reliance on digital technology has actually altered the development of our human apps which has resulted in unintended consequences,” says Siani.  Health experts have warned that reliance on technology leads to increased occurrences of addiction, stress, anxiety, panic attacks, ADD, narcissism, self-centered behavior, and even suicidal thoughts along with decreases in empathy, self-reliance, self-esteem, autonomy, and the ability to develop social skills. 
It is of note that Steve Jobs did not let his own children play with an Ipad and Chris Anderson, Chief Executive of 3D Robotics (a company that makes drones), keeps “parental control of every device in his home.”  Says Anderson, “I know the dangers of technology first hand.  I don’t want to see that happen to my kids.” 
But why isn’t this message getting out to the general public? 
A day or so into the digital cleanse, Lorand Moore, a student of Joni Siani’s, began to experience anxiety without his phone.  “The day is just gloomy because I feel something is going to happen and I’m not going to have my phone and I’m panicking.”  Siani believes this process of withdrawal is important.  “What is it doing to your head?  Let’s see how it feels to go more authentic with our one on one communication rather than focus on our digital devices to connect.  When we start communicating with our thumbs we’re in trouble.” 
The digital cleanse proved to be a valuable experience for Siani’s students.  “When you step out of that box,” shares Morgan Brown, “you truly see how much it consumes you.”  Steven Gage decided that he “wanted human connection again.”  Originally, Jacquelyn Cifarelli didn’t think she needed the digital cleanse, but realized that her reliance on technology was much greater than she had originally thought.  “I didn’t think I was connected to my phone.”  And Ben Abbene found that “the important people will call you, not just text you.”
The unfortunate message this generation is getting is that they can’t connect with somebody without the use of some device.  The data is clear, says Siani.  “It’s not fulfilling.  It’s not feeding the soul in the way that humans are supposed to connect.” 
Siani’s message in both her book and her film, Celling Your Soul, is positive and inclusive.  “It’s not anti-technology,” says Siani.  “It’s pro-human.  It’s about connecting on an authentic level.” 
“I believe that before we teach our children how to talk to a million people in a fraction of a second, we should first teach them how to talk to just one.” 
Jay Gillespie is a local writer, musician, comedian, and history teacher. 

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