UW-Madison student explores personal phone addiction in book ‘Enemy in Your Pocket’

Your phone knows more about you than even your closest friends. University of Wisconsin-Madison Junior Jackson Antonow explores this reality in his book “Enemy in Your Pocket,” which details his journey with phone addiction and the benefits of breaking this dependence. 

From ages 12-19, Antonow averaged upwards of eight hours a day on his phone. But it wasn’t until he was a freshman in college that he realized he had an anxious addiction to scrolling aimlessly on his phone throughout the day. 

“I was really having these overwhelming feelings of anxiety, and it got to the point where it just really bothered me. And I don’t think it was like this huge revelation at one point. But I was like, ‘my anxiety is interfering with my daily life,’” Antonow told The Daily Cardinal. “This just makes no sense on paper, and I wanted to look around and think about what I was doing in my life that was causing harm and causing these emotions. I started using my phone less, and everything changed dramatically.”

Antonow was inspired to write this book to help individuals who were experiencing anxiety and missing out on life like he was because of their phones. 

Antonow had researched extensively and read other books on phone addiction, but he felt as if all the books and articles were missing the perspective of a younger person. 

In “Enemy in Your Pocket”, Antonow combines personal stories with research to explore the impact of phone addiction. He conducted a study surveying individuals’ screen time between the age range of 13 and 23. He found the average screen time is five hours and 32 minutes a day, which, spread over a lifetime, would total 15.05 years spent on your phone. 

Now, Antonow has limited his screen time to an hour per day, spending roughly 2.72 years of his life on his phone. He cut his screen time by redesigning his phone to make it less engaging — deleting unnecessary apps, including social media, and turning off notifications for non-immediate apps. 

Antonow’s improved relationships and mental health result from limiting his screen time and staying away from social media, he said. With less time spent on his screen, he has found more time for new interests, increased productivity and strengthened connections with friends and family 

“I think it really improved my relationship with my parents because when I was coming home in high school, I’d be texting my friends, doing something on my phone. But now when I come home, it’s like there’s nothing on my phone or like my phone is away,” Antonow said. “It’s not like I have things to do besides talk to my parents or watch TV. I come home, and I have a conversation with my dad for around like four hours every single day in the summer.”

As our lives become increasingly consumed by technology, “Enemy in Your Pocket” serves as a timely reminder of the importance of balance and connections outside of a screen. 

“I think conversation is super important because it’s almost like a book. At a certain point, it’s like a lens of learning. That’s how I think about conversation. And when you ask questions about people, you really get to understand their world views, and I talk about [this] through the book. But when you’re on your phone, when you’re in the car, with the Uber driver, you’ve lost every potential of any life experience they’ve ever had,” Antonow said. 

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