Jobhop Jobhop's blog : Digital Addicts Will Need Digital Addiction Counsellors

Being connected constantly is going to put a strain on many entrepreneurs, employers, employees and their families. “Digital addiction” is going to be common in our hyper connected society. The WHO (World Health Organisation) predict that stress and depression will be the biggest causes of ill health by 2020, and digital overload is a major contributor.

Hopping from one digital activity to another can leave many people feeling anxious, unfocused and irritable.

In ten years time it’s predicted that there will be 50 billion devices connected to the internet. Specialist people will be required to understand the consequences of too much digital activity and the types of treatment required for hyperconnectivity burnout.

A digital addiction counsellor could have many types of digital addictions to treat:

Computer addiction
Information overload
Paranoia
Addictive trolling
Compulsive web surfing
Online gambling
Offline social phobia
Cybersex addiction
Virtual relationship addiction

It maybe that a digital counsellor will niche in one particular area, for example just specialising in cybersex addiction or perhaps online gambling.

Companies will want to protect their employees from the stress of digital addiction and will employ the services of digital counsellors to safeguard their employees from digital burnout.

A digital addiction counsellor in a company may perform many 1-2-1’s with employees or have group sessions or perhaps hold a drop in clinic on a particular day each week.

A company employing a digital addiction counsellor understands the need to prevent digital addiction and the importance of catching it early.

An employee suffering from digital addiction could end up being very unproductive, they may also become quite isolated which isn’t good for any company.

As well as stress, irritability and depression, there are some other tell tale signs that show when someone has a digital addiction:

Back aches
Neck aches
Bad headaches
Eye strain
Sleep deprivation
Weight gain
Marriage breakdown
Relationship breakdowns
Losing track of time
Becoming defensive

A digital addiction counsellor would provide therapy sessions, digital detox plans and putting plans in to place to prevent relapse. As we all become more and more hyper connected digital addiction counsellors will be required to help people find happiness again in their offline world.

Perhaps this is the job that you should start training for now.

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Julie Bishop Jobhop.co.uk

Pic credit Playing Futures

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