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Once smartphones came around, 'BRB' said 'LOL, G2G'
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With the rise of the Internet, phrases like BRB are gone. Why? Because we're almost always online, which isn't really a good thing. - photo by Herb Scribner
Hold on, dont read this article yet. BRB.

Just kidding no one says BRB (be right back) anymore. After all, as Caitlin Dewey of The Washington Post reported, the phrase BRB is useless in todays modern Internet age since people are almost always online.

In fact, a Google Trends report originally reported by The Washington Post but then discovered independently by Deseret News National found interest in the term brb has been on the decline since 2010.

This is not an original observation, mind you: the rumored death of brb has recently become its own sort of meme, Dewey wrote. Since January, its appeared twice on the front page of Reddit and zillions of times on Whisper and Twitter: asynchronous social platforms that never needed that kind of signpost to explain a bathroom break or other brief absence from the computer.

The phrase was often used when people stepped away from their computers or instant messaging apps, Dewey reported. But as Internet use increased especially with smartphones, which are always by our sides and easily accesible BRB lost its worth since people are available at any moment and never truly away.

Thanks to the rise of the smartphone and SMS, and the mobile Internet being away from ones keyboard is no longer an excuse for not answering a text, she wrote.

But the loss of BRB may say something about our constant need to be online, and how Internet addiction could be ailing families.

Repeated studies have shown that we feel pressure to carry our phones everywhere: into our beds and our bathrooms, on our coffee breaks and to our family dinners, Dewey wrote.

Its more than just those activities. The Pew Research Center found earlier this year that smartphone users use their phones for information on health conditions, online banking, applying for jobs and taking classes. Theres almost nothing you cant do on a smartphone.

Young people will also use their phones to cure boredom, avoid other people around them and for directions, according to Pew.

In fact, the Pew Research Center reported that 46 percent of smartphone users said they couldnt live without their device. Thats not surprising since more than half of Americans will check their smartphone a few times within an hour, with 11 percent checking their phone every few minutes, according to Gallup.

This isnt necessarily a good thing for smartphone and Internet users. After all, some smartphone owners suffer from psychological issues when they cant reach their phone or they lose it, according to a 2015 study from the University of Missouri.

The study, which looked at smartphone usage habits of more than 40 college students, found that some users will often see an increase in blood pressure and heart rate if they can hear their phone ringing, but are unable to answer it, according to Time magazine.

It only gets worse when smartphone users dont have their phones near them, Russel Clayton, media researcher for the University of Missouri study, told Time.

They reported feeling a loss of identity, Clayton told Time. When objects become possessions, when we use them a lot, theyre potentially capable of becoming an extension of ourselves.

When digital natives born today grow up to be toddlers who are crying because a parent takes their iPad away, Clayton says that could leave us with interesting questions: Are they upset because they cant play their game? Or are they upset because they dont have the iPad, the object, the possession?

Recent research has also found that compulsive smartphone and Internet use can affect teenagers academic performance too since phones can disrupt sleeping patterns in the middle of the night, according to The New York Times.

So what can parents do to help themselves and their teens cut back on social media use? Larry Rosen, a psychology professor at California State University, told Time that parents may want to slowly wean their child off their smartphones and devices so that it doesnt look like a parent is punishing their child for using the device.

Rosen also suggests parents tell other people that theyre going to check their devices less to limit the risk of offending people by not answering them back after their message, Time reported.

You announce to the world that youre only going to check your phone once a half hour, Rosen told Time, and then you allow yourself a minute or two every half hour to check in, return a call, text back, and then turn it off and put it away.

Its also important to find a balance, where youre conscious of your smartphone use and are disciplined enough to limit the amount of time you spend on your phone, according to Susan Davis of WebMD. For example, you dont have to answer your phone every time it rings.

You can also set certain times or places where youll check your phone to limit the use, Nicholas Carr, author and researcher, told WebMD.

"You'll be surprised and pleased to rediscover the pleasures of being in control of your attention," he said.
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How to avoid 'sharenting' and other paparazzi parenting habits
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A recent study revealed parents often spend up to two hours staging a single photo of his or her child to post online. - photo by Amy Iverson
Before having kids, some people just dont appreciate their friends baby posts. But after having a child of their own, three fourths of new parents jump right on the parental social media bandwagon. If you have become a member of this group, there are some rules to follow for posting responsibly.

Much of a parents worry is how to teach their children to use social media responsibly. We talk with our kids about privacy, oversharing, and setting restrictions on their devices to keep them safe. But parents themselves need to look in the digital mirror once in a while. Before having children, it doesnt take as much effort to think about what to post online. Its up to us to decide what we share about our own lives. But once you become a parent, there are many questions to think about regarding what is appropriate to post about your kids on social media.

In a recent survey, kids clothing subscription company Mac and Mia surveyed 2000 new parents to find out how they are documenting their kids lives on social media, and what concerns they may have.

First of all, people without children seem to feel a bit differently about the onslaught of baby pictures online than those who are parents. 18 percent of people say before they had kids, they were annoyed by their friends baby posts. But after having children of their own, 73 percent admit they post progress pictures of their little ones every single month.

Not only are new parents letting the world know each time their baby is a month older, but they are posting about their kids every few days or so. Men and women report they post 6-7 times per month about their baby.

And while 70 percent of new parents say the benefit of using social media is how easy it is to help family and friends feel involved, there are some downsides. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfall of becoming paparazzi parents.

Dont miss the moment

In the Mac and Mia survey, some parents admitted to spending up to two hours to get the perfect shot of their baby. That seems a little extreme. New and old parents alike should be careful about spending so much time taking pictures and videos that they dont enjoy the moment. Years ago, I decided to never live an experience through my phone. A study by Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, found that when people took pictures of objects in an art museum, they didnt remember the objects as well as if they simply observed them.

This photo-taking impairment effect can happen to parents as well. If we are so consumed by getting the perfect photo, we can miss out on the moment all together, and our memory of it will suffer.

Dont forget about privacy

60 percent of couples say they have discussed rules and boundaries for posting their babys photos, according to the Mac and Mia survey. Even so, men are 34 percent more likely to publish baby posts on public accounts. If parents are concerned about their childrens privacy, keeping photos off of public accounts is a given.

In the Washington Post, Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida, and Bahareh Keith, a Portland pediatrician, wrote that sharing too much information about kids online puts them at risk. They write that all that sharenting can make it easier for data thieves to target out kids for identity theft. Check that your privacy settings are where they should be and never share identifying information like full names and birth dates.

Dont be paparazzi parents

36 percent of parents say they take issue when their childs photo is posted online by someone else. Responsible social media users will always ask permission before posting a photo of another child. But parents should also think about whether their own children will take issue with their own posted photos a few years down the road.

When parents are constantly snapping pictures and throwing them on social media, it can be easy to forget to pause and make sure the post is appropriate. I always use the billboard example with my kids. I ask them to picture whatever they are posting going up on a billboard in our neighborhood. If they are okay with that, then their post is probably fine. Parents should ask themselves this same question when posting about their children. But they should also ask themselves if their child would be OK with this post on a billboard in 15 years. If it would cause embarrassment or humiliation, it might be best to keep it private.

Once children reach an appropriate age, parents should include them in the process of deciding what pictures are OK to post. Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 10- to 17-year-olds and found children believe their parents should ask permission more than parents think they should. The kids in the survey said sharing happy family moments, or accomplishments in sports, school and hobbies is fine. But when the post is negative (like when a child is disciplined) or embarrassing (think naked baby pictures or messy hair), kids say to keep it off social media.
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