An Ugly Toll of Technology: Impatience and Forgetfulness

[AlteredDNA]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/07/techn ... nside.html

Are your Facebook friends more interesting than those you have in real life?

Do you sometimes think about reaching for the fast-forward button, only to realize that life does not come with a remote control?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, exposure to technology may be slowly reshaping your personality. Some experts believe excessive use of the Internet, cellphones and other technologies can cause us to become more impatient, impulsive, forgetful and even more narcissistic.

“More and more, life is resembling the chat room,” says Dr. Elias Aboujaoude, director of the Impulse Control Disorders Clinic at Stanford. “We’re paying a price in terms of our cognitive life because of this virtual lifestyle.”

We do spend a lot of time with our devices, and some studies have suggested that excessive dependence on cellphones and the Internet is akin to an addiction. Web sites like NetAddiction.com offer self-assessment tests to determine if technology has become a drug. Among the questions used to identify those at risk: Do you neglect housework to spend more time online? Are you frequently checking your e-mail? Do you often lose sleep because you log in late at night? If you answered “often” or “always,” technology may be taking a toll on you.

In a study to be published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, researchers from the University of Melbourne in Australia subjected 173 college students to tests measuring risk for problematic Internet and gambling behaviors. About 5 percent of the students showed signs of gambling problems, but 10 percent of the students posted scores high enough to put them in the at-risk category for Internet “addiction.”

Technology use was clearly interfering with the students’ daily lives, but it may be going too far to call it an addiction, says Nicki Dowling, a clinical psychologist who led the study. Ms. Dowling prefers to call it “Internet dependence.”

Typically, the concern about our dependence on technology is that it detracts from our time with family and friends in the real world. But psychologists have become intrigued by a more subtle and insidious effect of our online interactions. It may be that the immediacy of the Internet, the efficiency of the iPhone and the anonymity of the chat room change the core of who we are, issues that Dr. Aboujaoude explores in a book, “Virtually You: The Internet and the Fracturing of the Self,” to be released next year.

Dr. Aboujaoude also asks whether the vast storage available in e-mail and on the Internet is preventing many of us from letting go, causing us to retain many old and unnecessary memories at the expense of making new ones. Everything is saved these days, he notes, from the meaningless e-mail sent after a work lunch to the angry online exchange with a spouse.

“If you can’t forget because all this stuff is staring at you, what does that do to your ability to lay down new memories and remember things that you should be remembering?” Dr. Aboujaoude said. “When you have 500 pictures from your vacation in your Flickr account, as opposed to five pictures that are really meaningful, does that change your ability to recall the moments that you really want to recall?”

There is also no easy way to conquer a dependence on technology. Nicholas Carr, author of the new book “The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains,” says that social and family responsibilities, work and other pressures influence our use of technology. “The deeper a technology is woven into the patterns of everyday life, the less choice we have about whether and how we use that technology,” Mr. Carr wrote in a recent blog post on the topic.

Some experts suggest simply trying to curtail the amount of time you spend online. Set limits for how often you check e-mail or force yourself to leave your cellphone at home occasionally.

The problem is similar to an eating disorder, says Dr. Kimberly Young, a professor at St. Bonaventure University in New York who has led research on the addictive nature of online technology. Technology, like food, is an essential part of daily life, and those suffering from disordered online behavior cannot give it up entirely and instead have to learn moderation and controlled use. She suggests therapy to determine the underlying issues that set off a person’s need to use the Internet “as a way of escape.”

The International Center for Media and the Public Agenda at the University of Maryland asked 200 students to refrain from using electronic media for a day. The reports from students after the study suggest that giving up technology cold turkey not only makes life logistically difficult, but also changes our ability to connect with others.

“Texting and I.M.’ing my friends gives me a constant feeling of comfort,” wrote one student. “When I did not have those two luxuries, I felt quite alone and secluded from my life. Although I go to a school with thousands of students, the fact that I was not able to communicate with anyone via technology was almost unbearable.”

[Michigan Girl]

I believe it and it's sad!!
I would feel suffocated and invaded having people know
my every move, mood and thought!!
Sometimes I just want to be totally unreachable ...

[S2M]

I believe it and it's sad!!
I would feel suffocated and invaded having people know
my every move, mood and thought!!
Sometimes I just want to be totally unreachable ...

Don't forget we met in Elgin....you are unreachable.....LMAO

[G.I.Jim]

I believe it and it's sad!!
I would feel suffocated and invaded having people know
my every move, mood and thought!!
Sometimes I just want to be totally unreachable ...

So what are you doing right now?

[Michigan Girl]

I believe it and it's sad!!
I would feel suffocated and invaded having people know
my every move, mood and thought!!
Sometimes I just want to be totally unreachable ...

Don't forget we met in Elgin....you are unreachable.....LMAO

Really!?! I liked you!!
Are you on your mail route right now?!?!


lol @ Jimbo!!!

[Everett]

I believe it and it's sad!!
I would feel suffocated and invaded having people know
my every move, mood and thought!!
Sometimes I just want to be totally unreachable ...

So what are you doing right now?

STALKER!!!!

[G.I.Jim]

I believe it and it's sad!!
I would feel suffocated and invaded having people know
my every move, mood and thought!!
Sometimes I just want to be totally unreachable ...

So what are you doing right now?

STALKER!!!!

If I were stalking her, I'd KNOW what she was doing right now.

[The Sushi Hunter]

I believe it and it's sad!!
I would feel suffocated and invaded having people know
my every move, mood and thought!!
Sometimes I just want to be totally unreachable ...

And that's why I don't post my pictures on the internet or my real name and never meet anyone in real life who I met on the internet first.

[AlteredDNA]

This is the part that really spoke to me:

“If you can’t forget because all this stuff is staring at you, what does that do to your ability to lay down new memories and remember things that you should be remembering?” Dr. Aboujaoude said. “When you have 500 pictures from your vacation in your Flickr account, as opposed to five pictures that are really meaningful, does that change your ability to recall the moments that you really want to recall?”

Simply too much useless information thrust on us daily. It does take away from / minimize the importance of what really is and should be special in our lives...

[Melissa]

So funny to read the part about pictures, that's why I don't bring my camera to many concerts anymore, lol. Didn't bring it to MRF2 and loved that! I knew so many others would get great pics anyhow, and I just enjoyed watching! Instead of holding a camera up and watching it all through a little screen, lol, just to have some youtube vids and 743 pictures

[bluejeangirl76]

So funny to read the part about pictures, that's why I don't bring my camera to many concerts anymore, lol. Didn't bring it to MRF3 and loved that! I knew so many others would get great pics anyhow, and I just enjoyed watching! Instead of holding a camera up and watching it all through a little screen, lol, just to have some youtube vids and 743 pictures

I don't bother with concert pics much anymore either. I find that I never really do anything with them. I still bring the camera, usually, but more often than not, I'm looking to get specific pictures if I have it with me, like pics with family and friends and maybe a few cool shots of places, a couple of cool concert shots... stuff like that. The rest I never do anything with, so I gave up.

[StevePerryHair]

So is this thread the antithesis of the "Today is the day" thread?

[AlteredDNA]

So is this thread the antithesis of the "Today is the day" thread?

I was just thinking that, although it wasn't by design...

I'm watching the WWDC feed as well, even though I'm not an Apple-ite...

[StevePerryHair]

So is this thread the antithesis of the "Today is the day" thread?

I was just thinking that, although it wasn't by design...

I'm watching the WWDC feed as well, even though I'm not an Apple-ite...

Well, cause technology is just cool!! I think it's just like anything else though. Moderation. Anything done in excess is bad for us.

My almost 14 year old had 3500 texts last month. I couldn't BELIEVE it! But she said it's because she is a fast texter, and she can text about 30 texts in just a couple minutes. I don't doubt that, but still, that is SO many!! And that is how the teens talk now. They hardly ever talk on the phone. Only texting. I told her she needs to be more aware of how much she's doing it. She says she doesnt' text in school. It's all in the evenings. and her grades are AWESOME, so it's not affecting that at all. She had straight A's all through middle school, with honors classes too. I mean she took Geometry and got A's in the 8th grade. I didnt' do that in the 10th grade! I told her that if she can't cut down a little then maybe I will have to give her breaks from her phone. You should have seen the fear in her face

[Deb]

I believe it and it's sad!!
I would feel suffocated and invaded having people know
my every move, mood and thought!!
Sometimes I just want to be totally unreachable ...

And that's why I don't post my pictures on the internet or my real name and never meet anyone in real life who I met on the internet first.

Forever grateful I never followed that rule, would never have met some stellar people from all over. Including 2 or 3 in California which I consider very dear friends. Have met some pretty great music lovers like myself, and would never have had the pleasure or opportunity to have met "all 3" of my favorite vocalists. Priceless experiences to say the least. Saying that, have never and would never meet somebody alone for the first time though.

[AlteredDNA]

So is this thread the antithesis of the "Today is the day" thread?

I was just thinking that, although it wasn't by design...

I'm watching the WWDC feed as well, even though I'm not an Apple-ite...

Well, cause technology is just cool!! I think it's just like anything else though. Moderation. Anything done in excess is bad for us.

My business is based on technology, so I have to keep up with it...and it's cool...

Congrats on your daughter as well...good to hear she's finding the appropriate balance...

[Michigan Girl]

So is this thread the antithesis of the "Today is the day" thread?

I think it's more about people going overboard!! Moderation is good!!
I, too, have a daughter that prefers to communicate via text ...I've found I like her better, sometimes, when
I can't hear the inflection in her voice and vice versa. Texting has saved our relationship ...

[Deb]

So is this thread the antithesis of the "Today is the day" thread?

I think it's more about people going overboard!! Moderation is good!!
I, too, have a daughter that prefers to communicate via text ...I found I like her better, sometimes, when
I can't hear the inflection in her voice and vice versa. Texting has saved our relationship ...

LMAO, does that ever sound familiar. Although 'bite me!' comes across just as funny over text.

[bluejeangirl76]

So is this thread the antithesis of the "Today is the day" thread?

I think it's more about people going overboard!! Moderation is good!!
I, too, have a daughter that prefers to communicate via text ...I found I like her better, sometimes, when
I can't hear the inflection in her voice and vice versa. Texting has saved our relationship ...

On one hand I see the convenience and all, but I do think sometimes that people are a little too into the instant acccess to technology. And everyone told me once I got a smartphone, I'd be doing it too, but I find that I don't do it nearly as much as people tried to tell me I would. I think it's kinda rude to be around a bunch of people and have your face glued to the phone constantly and the texting/twittering and everything else.

I'm finding, though, that I'm doing it because 'everyone else is doing it', instead of interacting, so I end up bored, so hey, why not read twitter, or whatever.

[StevePerryHair]

So is this thread the antithesis of the "Today is the day" thread?

I think it's more about people going overboard!! Moderation is good!!
I, too, have a daughter that prefers to communicate via text ...I've found I like her better, sometimes, when
I can't hear the inflection in her voice and vice versa. Texting has saved our relationship ...

yes that would be a perk!! funny thing though. One day I was downstairs on my iPhone and she was upstairs on facebook on the PC. So I started a facebook chat with her to be funny. Well it freaked her out. She said "mom, you're in the same house" and it bugged her. Yet when she texts me from her room sometimes, THATS ok? its always fun to teach them things by playing their own game