According to the Daily Mail, “tech neck” –phone induced neck wrinkles–is latest complaint among smartphone addicts.

Disrupted sleep, interrupted sex, lack of focus–these are some of the downsides of your smartphone addiction. They’re with us all day long, constantly beckoning us. The moment we don’t have anything do, we text or check Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and our emails. We’ve forgotten how to be uncomfortable in social situations because we’re so used to turning to our smartphones for camaraderie. But what if these little gadgets gave us neck wrinkles?

All that gazing down at our smartphones, tablets or laptops is giving us “tech neck”. I’ll be honest, I just took a look in the mirror to see whether I was plagued with new wrinkles circling my neck, the result of looking downward for far too long each day.

“Tech neck,” neck wrinkles caused by our compulsion to stare at our favorite gadgets, is the modern version of laugh lines, except it’s manmade. There’s even a treatment called the Microlift to combat the new wrinkle phenomenon. Dean Nathanson, Managing Director of CACI international, experts in non-surgical facelifts,  commented on The Daily Mail:

We’re a hard working nation and our hectic everyday lives mean that keeping one’s head down, be it buried in work emails or in an e-reader, is completely the norm. Recently we noticed a surge in enquiries for our product, specifically to combat lines around the neck area.

Our bodies are just not designed to be in the same position for such long periods of time. This isn’t the first result of our gadget addiction. Digital eye strain is another issue. In all, 70 percent of adults report digital eye strain, a set of symptoms that can include dry eyes, blurry vision, fatigue, and neck and shoulder cramping–all the result of staring at computer screens all day. And then there’s the other smartphone health hazard: texting while walking. A 2013 Ohio State University study found that more than 1,500 people were treated in emergency rooms for cell phone related injuries. (We won’t even mention the hazards of texting while driving.)

Yikes! It’s all the more reason to give your gadgets (and your body) a break. Friends, step away from your smartphones.

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Our constant use of technology is giving rise to a new disorder known as sleep texting.

Few things can get you into more trouble than sending a text in your sleep. Sleep texting is like having your subconscious thoughts published in the form of a text message, which can get you into some sticky situations.

Sleep texting is becoming increasingly common, especially among younger adults, according to Dr. Michael Gelb, a clinical professor at New York University’s College of Dentistry and founder of The Gelb Center in New York. Sleep texting falls into the same category of parasomnia sleep disorders as sleep walking.

Alex Thielen, a 22 year old sleep texter, felt the pangs of embarrassment when she sent a sleep text to her ex-boyfriend. After months without contact, he had reached out to her, sending her a text before bedtime. She sent him a sleep text back asking him to meet up.

“I never wanted to see him, and still don’t, but I think subconsciously, I still partially do, so my subconscious loved the idea,” Thielen explained to The Atlantic. “I woke up and was embarrassed to tell my friends and mom because deep down, I knew it was a bad idea. I was upset with myself for making it known that I wanted to see him.”

No Spell Check for Sleep Texting

Sleep texts are often riddled with misspellings but the words still have impact, especially when sent to someone outside close family and friends–like a boss or ex-boyfriend. They’re also very difficult to retract because people hesitate to believe that you sent a text in your sleep. But with cell phones on nearly every bedside table, sleep texting isn’t as far-fetched as it might sound.

Sleep texting also disrupts sleep, preventing your body from reaching the REM sleep cycle. What a person had to drink, stress levels, and quality of sleep before the event also have an impact. Workaholics are also prone to sleep texting. According to an article in the Daily Mail, they can’t seem to turn off their work brain.

“People are doing so much during a normal day that it can mean that they feel like they’re ‘on call’ even at night,” said Dr David Cunnington, of Melbourne Sleep Disorder Centre in Australia.

The thought of sending a subconscious text to my boss makes my stomach turn. All the more reason to keep your cell phone out of the bedroom.

Have you ever been caught sleep texting? Tell us about it in a comment.

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Image: Jhaymesisviphotography

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ColumnConscious life, hear me roar.

It should never be all that surprising when idiocy takes hold of a culture. We allow it to with every right we give up, every piece of fast fashion we purchase, every texted bastardization of the English language (YOLO!) and every time we wait in line at a Dunkin Donuts drive-thru too lazy to get out of our SUVs. It’s almost like we want mediocrity, a simplicity that makes life easier to understand in all its watered down glory. I like to call it the Dick and Jane complex and its tendrils are many and sticky.

Part minimalism and part some world-wide need to emulate everyone else, we’ve all started giving up our freedoms to express our Selves in cluttered forms. Clean lines equal the future we’ve seen in countless science fiction movies where we, clad in metallic unitards, hovercraft into our concrete living bunkers (designed of course by the newest breakthrough architect), are but cogs in some life machine recharging what little spirit we have left to give. Eat. Sex. Sleep. Work. We might want to ask ourselves if life has spun that far out of control that we need such cleanliness and structured rigor to feel in control.

Run Jane run.

Germs multiply even though we try and sanitize them from our existence. We see popular online venues, sites we’ve come to love and treasure turn to profit only pulling “community led” content to homogenize the information we greedily gobble daily. Those big men in high places have nailed the social media formula and given us clear Kool-Aid in plastic water bottles that we drink and suck from like pigs at the teet.

We don’t want anything to get old and tattered so we buy new at rock bottom prices at blockbuster sales. We lust after the smell of clean store, fresh plastic and strong cleaners to rid ourselves of the fact that we are a dirty species capable of dirty things. Of menacing things that are dark and never a shade of white. We don’t want to stray anymore because it’s so dangerous. Always staying within the lines. It’s Groundhog Day for the minimalist, for the budget price buster and for Jane. Nietzsche is laughing his ass off at us from the grave.

Live Jane live.

Mother Jones recently reported that “Americans now put in an average of 122 more hours per year than Brits, and 378 hours (nearly 10 weeks!) more than Germans.” Instead of sitting around campfires and in quiet places where we can have wild discussions of “I always wanted to…” or “next on my bucket list is…,” we are turning more towards our computers and bosses, entities that validate we are here because they greet us daily and we are told what to do. It’s all about purpose. Those bosses don’t want our opinions so much anymore. Our computers connect us to friends and family all over the world that no longer write us messy, handwritten letters or even call because it would take too long and time is money.

Feel Jane feel.

The past few weeks I have been scraping and priming and painting my home. Paint chips are everywhere and my arms ache at night from using them in ways they are not used to. I flop down in bed next to my husband who is just as tired and we laugh about the pain. All day long we are talking as we work making our mess, fixing the dry rot, missing some spots with paint and letting go the thought that we will finish the entire house anytime soon. It will surely take us all summer because of our hectic lives. It will give my husband and I more time to get to know each other again. Hear each other breathing as we work.

Love Jane love.

I sometimes imagine longer sentences in Jane’s books detailing her life. Some words are misspelled and are hard to understand. Jane isn’t always playing with friends but sits alone under trees sometimes to contemplate her life. Jane takes off her shoes and dirties her feet in the grass. She empties her pockets full of dried flowers. Jane picks up a stubby pencil and writes a poem. It is an ode to everything she knows is rich and wonderful and present in her life. Jane is me. Jane is you.

Between the Lines is a weekly column navigating the sometimes-sharp, sometimes-blurred lines of conscious life and culture between city and country, between inner worlds and outer.

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If the already perfect storm of baffling high-tech driving distractions weren’t enough, GM’s OnStar adds Facebook to your mix of thought options to consider while changing lanes.

Though still in an experimental stage, the “hands-free” (safety first, right?) social media access system could be available to some subscribers as early as the end of the month. (OnStar subscriptions start at $199 a year.) Using it, a driver could update his or her Facebook status simply by speaking out loud (i.e., Scott Adelson is driving). Users will also be able to listen to Facebook newsfeeds and messages read to them in a friendly, let’s say sultry, OnStar voice: Hello Scott”¦ Bambi wants to be your friend. (Ahem. I digress”¦)

But wait, there’s more! The Bluetooth-based system will also read text messages and let a driver reply using one of four pre-set replies with a simple touch of a steering-wheel button. I’m not sure if you’ll be able to create your own reply. Maybe something like “Crashing my car, not LMAO!”

GM (OnStar) has been engaged in a losing battle with Big Three rival Ford Motor Co. (Sync), for the hearts and mind of the younger tech-savvy set. According to the The Detroit News, GM has recently announced a partnership with Google to link smart phones to OnStar so subscribers can search for directions by voice and download maps. The company has also introduced a new “OnStar mobile app” that allows drivers to remotely unlock doors, start the ignition, check tire pressure and fuel economy, and more.

Meanwhile, Ford’s Sync system is moving ahead with its own plans, says the Detroit Free Press. The next generation of Sync, will also allow users to read and reply to text messages. And while Sync won’t hook up with Facebook, later this year it’ll start to plug into Twitter, Pandora and Stitcher.

Ironically, to me at least, OnStar was originally developed for safety. And though it doesn’t take a Ph.D. in Psychology to figure out that this stuff will cause problems behind the wheel, I’m going to quote one anyway. Driver distraction expert David Strayer, Ph.D., writing for Car Talk: “…these systems neglect the cognitive sources of distraction. Over a decade of research has documented that interacting with systems like this can divert attention from driving and result in substantial impairments. Simply put, you cannot pay attention to two different things at the same time.  If you are updating the status of your Facebook account, you are not paying attention to the road.” He adds, “The driver next to you may be updating their Facebook account and their reactions will be about as bad as if they were drunk.”

Nice, huh? Well, so much for technology making our world a safer place. Can’t wait to see this update: “Facebook Username; Just hit a tree.”

Image: Open Box

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Everyone knows it is bad news when thumbs are playing tiny keyboards behind the wheel, but other societal pains are now surfacing from chronic texting – namely carpal tunnel syndrome in teens. Ouch! That compulsion to get a rush from staying connected could prove an addiction more risky than good old pot or chocolate. Who knew?

Perhaps the mom of a 16-year-old Illinois girl named Annie Levitz, who was recently diagnosed with the nerve compression ailment by a rheumatologist who found the constant texting was causing the teen to lose her grip. The syndrome can cause tingling, burning and itching numbness in the effected area, which often is the palm of the hand from poor computer keyboards or other factors. Speedy texting demands great dexterity of the fingers and thumbs and obviously can take its toll.

Dr. Sofia Aksentijevich says the problem she found in her young patient is typical in pregnant women due to swelling, but a case like Levitz is unusual. Still, many fear it is the first in a pending epidemic because of the constant need for teens – and society as a whole – to exchange messages. Levitz’s mom says her daughter sends some 65 messages a day, averaging 2,000 a month, but now she has learned her lesson and is slowing down. One reason is the pain and inconvenience of having to sport wrist braces until she heals. The other is the negative press. She says she has been branded “Carpal Tunnel Girl” at Adlai Stevenson High School.

Images: Simon Doggett; Supports4less

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E-readers are spineless compared with hardcover books, lacking the soulful carbon fingerprints of readers past. You cannot fold the pages of the wafer-thin gadgets, or make your mark with splotches of food or wine. And the idea of clutching the casing to your chest after reading the final line of a novel just leaves me cold. As one book club friend of mine waxes, “There’s just something about the smell of a book.”

Still, we all can smell and see the writing is on the screen when it comes to these devices outsourcing print media, sparing trees and saving money. According to ID TechEx, the total market size in 2010 is a whopping $131 million, and is expected to soar to $1.7 billion by 2014. Much of that growth is attributed to huge success of Kindles and other portable e-readers. “In 2020, the market value will reach $7.45 billion thanks to the availability of flexible, color displays and faster refresh rates,” the market analysts predict.

Why do users find them so friendly?

“I bought one for my wife for her birthday and enlarged the fonts so she can read the words on the screen without squinting or wearing reading glasses,” says Steve Montoya, a Bay Area IT consultant. “She’s an avid reader. Recently, she read a series she couldn’t get in e-print, and couldn’t wait to finish it and get back to her Kindle.”

While you can’t download all desirable titles now, the Amazon library and others are growing every day.

“You can get books, magazines, newspapers, even audio books to listen to with headphones,” Montoya says.

The graphite feature also is a huge power saver, he finds, noting you can get several days of reading on one charge. And since it works on a cellular network, it also makes it easy to instantaneously order books and have them appear on your library. Plus, the e-readers never seem to lose connection.

“My brother-in-law is in Afghanistan and his iPhone doesn’t work, but his Kindle does,” says Montoya.

If the prequel of our paperless future is the tragic death of magazines and newspapers, will the sequel be the disappearance of paperback and hardcover reads? Are there upsides to this plot? Here are some of the pros and cons of e-reading devices:

Cost

Pro: If you are a voracious reader without a library card, you probably will save money on an e-reader. If you are a voracious reader with a library card, you probably will save on late fees.

Con: You have to spend a lot for the cheapest iPad, which is wifi-only, holds 16GB of storage and sells for nearly $500. The Que is $649 and has a 4GB of data storage. The 3G wireless Amazon Kindle is more affordable at $250.

Storage

Pro: When the Kindle was introduced in 2007, travelers loved the benefits of of storing up to 1,500 books on a device the size of a small paperback read. And the library of available books to download keeps expanding (the first chapter of any book is free). Let’s face it, we are a storage-challenged human race with too much junk and not enough apartment and home space. This eliminates the need for shelving.

Con: Our private libraries are important for sharing with our friends and children and passing down treasured collections – classics and complementary fiction that rocked our world. Plus, it’s a lot easier to lose a gadget than an entire dusty collection.

Green

Pro: Many green publications, including Inhabitat, sing the praises of e-readers because they ultimately aid the environment by requiring no deforestation to manufacture, compared to the traditional paper publishing industry. This doesn’t even include the energy, materials, dyes and carbon from shipping that shames the print industry. According to a study by Cleantech, the carbon emitted in the lifecycle of  a Kindle, for example, is fully offset after the first year. And more earth-friendly models are on the move, like LG’s Solar ebook introduced last year, boasting a thin photovoltaic cell which keeps the juice pumping so your novel won’t go kaput during the climax.

Con: What is being offered is a new thing to buy, to keep you busy on the subway. High tech by nature is incompatible with green with exceptions such as solar panels, which also require an investment in energy to make. Green means a return to what your grandparents did, a return to simplicity: Walk a few blocks to school and work. Open a book on your front porch and snooze. That’s 18th Century technology. Also, the effectiveness of reducing emissions by popularizing these gadgets is dependent upon the publishing industry standardizing its adoption of the technology while committing to cutting down the production of physical books and other print media. Is this likely to happen anytime soon, other than by default?

Convenience

Pro: Toss the paper thin, lightweight, wireless device in your bag and you’re good to go. The new generation of Kindles is lighter than a paperback at 6″ and 10.2 oz. and you can hold it with one hand, which aids those carpal tunnel issues. This is why so many e-readers are the new companions of commuters. Hopefully, driving laws will keep users from biting into New Moon while behind the wheel. If you thought texting was was a dangerous distraction while driving…

Con: The tactile experience of gripping a book, magazine or Sunday paper can outweigh the fact it might be heavier to lug. It is this experience that is woven into our cultural wiring. No matter how hard technology tries, the tendency for consumers to prefer print over e-readers will endure for many years to come. With regard to our cultural connection to books, a graduate student at the University of Toronto wrote that his first experiences with a reader felt like “a courageous betrayal of every word written from the moment papyrus gave way to paper.”

Connection

Pro: We are a society that needs to stay connected now more than ever. In terms of signal range, e-readers never seem to drop out.

Con: Losing connection might be easier on the eyes. Having your head in a book just isn’t the same as having your peepers fixed on a screen for hours of pleasure reading. Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) cases are rising in people looking for relief from fatigue, strain and irritation caused by focusing on worlds and images on a surface without well-defined edges contrasted against backgrounds. Eyes simply respond better to most printed text of bold black letters on a bright, white background.

Images: E-readers

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