Recently while flipping though Facebook on my phone I ran across the article “Why Your iPhone Addiction Is Snuffing Your Creativity”, by Drake Baer.[1] It is no surprise that our society is becoming more and more addicted to technology and there isn’t much thought given to what were are missing out on while we are texting, tweeting, surfing and playing on our gadgets. By always having the instant gratification of infinite information at our finger tips we are rarely in a situation where our minds are allowed to wander without engaging in some form of stimulation. The article comes out blatantly and says it: your phone is junk food, it never lets you get bored, and because of that it stifles your creativity.
Baer, points out that boredom is valuable to our thought processes. He discusses how boredom is a welcome “pause” in the thought process that allows the mind to contemplate recent experiences alongside the current. Sometimes our mind needs to be given an opportunity to day dream and let thoughts come and go on their own. Baer mentions a very interesting thought from NYU’s Gary Marcus, which suggests that if you use the energy when boredom strikes to take up a hobby, it will be a growing experience; if you tune into a gadget, it will be instant gratification and leave you with nothing to show for it later.
As the world becomes more tuned into technology this problem will grow and I believe that social movements will form that resist the constant connectivity of technology. The constant distraction of technology is not just distracting us from things like work and driving. It is also stifling our conversations with loved ones, because why talk over the dinner table when you have been texting all day and Netflix is available. It is stifling our intimate thoughts and discouraging personal reflection often found when boredom strikes, because why just sit with our thoughts when there is social media, email, and a new app to fiddle with. When considered as a whole it is unfortunate that the this level of distraction is the case. I think that as a society we are still trying to figure out how much is too much and perhaps as time goes on more etiquette with form. However, right now we will need to take our technology in moderation to avoid losing ourselves in technology junk food.
[1] Drake Baer. “Why Your iPhone Addiction Is Snuffing Your Creativity,” Fast Company (April 10, 2013), http://www.fastcompany.com/3008060/why-your-iphone-addiction-snuffing-your-creativity (accessed April 10, 2013).
The Lib 