Almost everyone does it. Presidents and common citizens. Most of the people you know and probably even you. Children and adults on their way to work and school. Whilst waiting for a bus, on the toilet or in the middle of a meal. We all look down at ascreen, scrolling like zombies through the flow of social media. Cat videos, advertisements, memes and selfies. It all flickers pastat a furious pace, seemingly with no purpose or afterthought.
Scrollzombies is centered on the excessive use of social media. There are increasing reports of new medical conditions such as iHunch and SMS thumb, whilst, at the same time, there has been a rapid increase in mental health problems amongst young people. Many people suffer withdrawal-like symptoms connectedto disruptions in their access to social media. Issues that can be likened to those connected to other types of dependency – but are we really addicted? And, if so, how do we cure it?
Sven Rollenhagen uses his expertise on digital dependencies and has a pragmatic attitude in which he advocates balance rather than total abstinence. There is no denial to the fact that social media is a great asset and offers many opportunities, bothpersonal and professional. In the book he offers several propo- sals for solutions that can make us more harmonious and feel that we have control over our behavior.
In addition to many tips on creating digital balance, the book also contains a simple five-week program for those who want tolearn more about their use of social media and prevent or break an abuse.
Sven Rollenhagen is a Swedish author, public speaker and trained social worker who has specialised in addiction and addiction care since 1986. His previous work focused on drug addiction, but he now works mainly with dependency and addiction to digital media such as computer game addiction, mobile phones and social media. He travels the breadth of Sweden and the nordics working and presenting the topics surrounding digital dependence and generating digital balance. He is also an avid computer game enthusiast!
Karin Shearman is a professional freelance translator with fluency in Swedish and English. She is a native Swede who is married to a British national and has lived and worked in the UK for 20 years.
