- More than 70% of people between the ages of 25 and 50 do not remember deleting old files in the last month.
- Between 2017 and 2022, around 333 billion emails have been sent worldwide.
- Of that figure, only 22.7% are opened and only 2.62% received a click.
Technology is an important ally that offers multiple benefits. At the same time, it can also be an enemy that can cause health problems. The list of disorders associated with its use is quite extensive and now the Digital Diogenes Syndrome. It is a new disorder that emerged at the height of the virtual age, but do you know what it is?
Simply put, it is a mental disorder that prevents users from getting rid of objects or files accumulated in electronic devices. It is a new form of accumulators, but instead of objects they are fond of keeping digital memories that they often do not need. There is no emotional attachment, and the curious thing is that it is more common than it seems.
Unnecessary digital accumulation
According to a survey of TEKDI, Institute of Digital Marketing, in 2021 more than 70% of people between 25 and 50 years old did not remember having deleted old files in the last month. While 9 out of 10 had a hard time differentiating what they wanted to keep from what they did not need on their tablets or mobile phones.
These facts lead us to a overinformation and overstimulation to which people are exposed. Hence, we feel the constant need to save or accumulate information that we consider relevant or that we may use in the future and we bookmark for fear of not finding the content again.
The storage of digital information has negative effects over time, just like the accumulation of physical objects. All the data and files that we keep stored “digitally” also occupy real space on large information servers, thus affecting the environment.
Between 2017 and 2022, around 333 billion emails have been sent worldwide. Although only 22.7% of them open and only 2.62% receive a click on the information, according to figures from MailChimp.
Among other negative effects is the slowdown of the devices or loss of functionality due to overload in the processors.
Ways to prevent this disorder
This is why Bethlem Boronat, director of the Master in Customer Experience & Innovation at the EAE Business Schoollists some points to combat the Digital Diogenes Syndrome.
1. Before saving a document, ask yourself if it is going to be printed
Sometimes we accumulate information almost unconsciously and impulsively, so it is recommended to reflect on whether we are really going to read it when saving, downloading or highlighting content and the environmental impact that this practice generates.
2. Control your finger and ask yourself if you really need to have all those photos
You should try to choose when to take photos and periodically review those that you have saved, eliminating those that you do not need to keep. It is recommended to organize them in albums and label them.
3. Clean local and cloud files
When we save something locally we are usually aware that it is there, but when we do it in the cloud we don’t have that feeling and it seems that everything fits. Eliminate everything that is not going to be used, eliminate caches, order documents, it will be easier to find everything easily.
4. Use tools that help organize and clear trash easily
The photos can be uploaded to Find.Same.Images.OK and later using an image sorting platform like Adobe Bridge. It is recommended to listen to music using streaming platforms. In the case of organizing the bookmarks or files that seem interesting, tools like Pocket can be implemented, which help organize and, therefore, facilitate the process of eliminating what is no longer used.
5. Make a digital Marie Kondo every six months
Put the date on the calendar. Every six months, you can spend a morning going through the local folders on your computer to choose what to keep for the long term and copy it to an external hard drive. What is going to be consulted can be sorted into folders and eliminate what is no longer useful. This frees up space with a cleaning program like CC Cleaner.
Check social networks and photo folders, delete what is no longer consulted. In addition to emptying the desktop and selecting the bookmarks.
Also read:
Technopathologies, the new diseases that emerged with the internet
Diseases of the XXI Century: From cyberchondriacs to technopathologies
Selfie dysmorphia, a new disorder caused by TikTok filters