"What’s so important on your phone? Is it more important than me; is it more important than your family?" This interrogation is the opening salvo of an argument with the potential to run the girth of the planet. The unspoken answer to this rhetorical and adversarial question is “social media, that’s what’s more important than you”.
Initially we giggled at the idea that we might be "addicted" to social media. Tongue-in-cheek, BlackBerries were dubbed Crackberries – then the stories about broken relationships, failed exams and workplace terminations began to filter through. The laughter died down, a little.
A 2014 study published in the journal Computers in Human Behaviour found social networking use correlated with poor marriage quality, troubled relationships and a higher likelihood of contemplating divorce. Social media has become the divorce lawyers' best friend. According to a survey by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, more than 80 per cent of legal representatives in US divorces reported a rise in the number of marriages ending linked to social media use.
For some people, social media use can have a negative impact on workplace productivity too. A Pew Research Center survey in Washington, DC in 2014 found 77 per cent of employees reported using social networking platforms at work, while 56 per cent admitted it also distracted them from work-related activities (college students, some of the world’s great procrastinators, will testify to this too). There are now countless cases of people being sacked for overusing, revealing too much or posting inappropriate content on those networks.
In each of the areas of relationships, employment and education, social media can have a dramatically negative impact. But surely this only happens to other people – those weak-willed individuals we read about on social media? It couldn’t possibly happen to us, could it? In many models of addiction, overcoming denial is the first step towards recovery.
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Read more:
[ Trump defends his use of Twitter ]
[ There is no such thing as privacy on social media ]
[ How to go on a technology detox ]
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One of the problems with seeing social networking as an addiction or disorder is that there are no established rules for usage. For food, we have a daily recommended caloric intake. But with social media, who decides how much is too much? Is there a line and how can we know when we've crossed it?
According to researchers at the Universities of Amsterdam and Utrecht in the Netherlands, there is now a categorical answer to this question. The research team has developed a social media usage inventory, or questionnaire that corresponds to nine classic symptoms of addictive behaviours (preoccupation, withdrawal, tolerance, displacement, problems, escape, conflict and deception). They argue that if five or more of the nine symptoms are present, then you may have SMD, or social media disorder.
Published in the journal Computers in Human Behaviour, the SMD checklist assesses displacement by asking: "During the past year, have you regularly neglected other activities (such as hobbies or sport) because you wanted to use social media?" Similarly, the question assessing the escape category asks: "During the past year, have you often used social media to escape negative feelings?" A score of five or more is problematic. Among a sample of 873 teenagers, more than 100 (11.6 per cent) scored above the diagnostic cut-off.
Whether or not SMD becomes an accepted psychological condition, only time will tell. However, it is undeniable that excessive use can result in social and occupational problems for some of us. How can we prevent such issues and what can we do to promote sensible, healthy usage?
One idea is to develop authoritative, evidence-based guidance, analogous to that of the food pyramid. Since social media usage is essentially an attention exchange activity, we can call the guidelines the attention pyramid. We could propose what a healthy attention diet might look like, striking a balance between categories such as face-to-face communication, reading published works, self-reflection and social networking. Social media use, like fats and sugars, should sit at the top of the pyramid, consumed only sparingly as part of a healthy attention-focused diet.
The attention pyramid is just one idea. Our social media use – and abuse – is one we need to carefully monitor and measure.
Company Profile
Company name: Namara
Started: June 2022
Founder: Mohammed Alnamara
Based: Dubai
Sector: Microfinance
Current number of staff: 16
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Family offices
RESULTS
Light Flyweight (48kg): Alua Balkibekova (KAZ) beat Gulasal Sultonalieva (UZB) by points 4-1.
Flyweight (51kg): Nazym Kyzaibay (KAZ) beat Mary Kom (IND) 3-2.
Bantamweight (54kg): Dina Zholaman (KAZ) beat Sitora Shogdarova (UZB) 3-2.
Featherweight (57kg): Sitora Turdibekova (UZB) beat Vladislava Kukhta (KAZ) 5-0.
Lightweight (60kg): Rimma Volossenko (KAZ) beat Huswatun Hasanah (INA) KO round-1.
Light Welterweight (64kg): Milana Safronova (KAZ) beat Lalbuatsaihi (IND) 3-2.
Welterweight (69kg): Valentina Khalzova (KAZ) beat Navbakhor Khamidova (UZB) 5-0
Middleweight (75kg): Pooja Rani (IND) beat Mavluda Movlonova (UZB) 5-0.
Light Heavyweight (81kg): Farida Sholtay (KAZ) beat Ruzmetova Sokhiba (UZB) 5-0.
Heavyweight (81+kg): Lazzat Kungeibayeva (KAZ) beat Anupama (IND) 3-2.
Company Profile
Name: Direct Debit System
Started: Sept 2017
Based: UAE with a subsidiary in the UK
Industry: FinTech
Funding: Undisclosed
Investors: Elaine Jones
Number of employees: 8
Ramy: Season 3, Episode 1
Creators: Ari Katcher, Ryan Welch, Ramy Youssef
Stars: Ramy Youssef, Amr Waked, Mohammed Amer
Rating: 4/5
Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners
Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)
The five pillars of Islam
'Nightmare Alley'
Director:Guillermo del Toro
Stars:Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara
Rating: 3/5
TWISTERS
Director:+Lee+Isaac+Chung
Starring:+Glen+Powell,+Daisy+Edgar-Jones,+Anthony+Ramos
Rating:+2.5/5
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
COMPANY PROFILE
Company: Eco Way
Started: December 2023
Founder: Ivan Kroshnyi
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Electric vehicles
Investors: Bootstrapped with undisclosed funding. Looking to raise funds from outside
FINAL RESULT
Sharjah Wanderers 20 Dubai Tigers 25 (After extra-time)
Wanderers
Tries: Gormley, Penalty
cons: Flaherty
Pens: Flaherty 2
Tigers
Tries: O’Donnell, Gibbons, Kelly
Cons: Caldwell 2
Pens: Caldwell, Cross
Company profile
Name: WonderTree
Started: April 2016
Co-founders: Muhammad Waqas and Muhammad Usman
Based: Karachi, Pakistan, Abu Dhabi, UAE, and Delaware, US
Sector: Special education, education technology, assistive technology, augmented reality
Number of staff: 16
Investment stage: Growth
Investors: Grants from the Lego Foundation, UAE's Anjal Z, Unicef, Pakistan's Ignite National Technology Fund
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Ejari
Based: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Founders: Yazeed Al Shamsi, Fahad Albedah, Mohammed Alkhelewy and Khalid Almunif
Sector: PropTech
Total funding: $1 million
Investors: Sanabil 500 Mena, Hambro Perks' Oryx Fund and angel investors
Number of employees: 8
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group C
Liverpool v Napoli, midnight
Company Profile
Name: Ovasave
Started: November 2022
Founders: Majd Abu Zant and Torkia Mahloul
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: Healthtech
Number of staff: Three employees
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Investment: $400,000
THE DETAILS
Deadpool 2
Dir: David Leitch
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Justin Dennison, Zazie Beetz
Four stars
The Cairo Statement
1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.
6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5