Smart phones

Junk Food (Blog Post #3)

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).

Info Addict – (Blog Post #1)

Recently, I was mindlessly flipping though apps on my smart phone and I ran across an article by Bill Davidow in The Atlantic, titled “Exploiting the Neuroscience of Internet Addition.”[i]  The article discusses the way most of us have become inseparable from technology and constantly crave the next dopamine filled notification letting us know there is a new email, status update or tweet with our name on it. While I was already consciously aware that I was addicted to technology as so many of us are now, this article made me think about the intricacies of how that addiction worked.

The idea is that just like an addiction such as gambling, the motives that keep bringing us back to our smart phones, tablets and computers is an “obsessive pleasure-seeking behavior.” It is the reason that the first website I open when I sit down at my computer is Facebook, and I am sure I am not the only one who is a slave to social media. There are times when I open the web browser and unconsciously type in Facebook in the url bar instead of the website I intended. This obsessive behavior is why I refresh social media new feeds, emails, and keep checking apps. It is the prospect that if we (us technology addicts) keep refreshing the screen and checking our apps that we will be rewarded with some form of good news which result in the release of dopamine in our technology craving brains.

Image

Photo credit: XKCD[ii]

This addiction component of technology is now being harnessed by the business world. The idea is if they can create something addicting and keep people interested they can be successful. Davidow discussed the gaming industry and the idea of a “compulsion loop”, where players work to meet goals, are rewarded, and then work for the next goal. The players are continuously having new content dangled in front of them to urge them to stay in the “compulsion loop” to be rewarded with the new content. This same concept is being used on the web, social media in particular, and companies in this industry must play the game to stay successful.

Whether people choose to address these issues with technology , or not, they will continue to be a part of our lives. This is the price that comes with the benefit of the information age and being connected with everyone and an infinite amount of information. This obsession with technology often distracts us from the people and tasks right in front of us and we are sacrificing our physical world for our virtual one. Just as Davidow mentions in his article, I try to make an effort to separate myself from technology and be more engaged in what is right in from of me. In moments when I would normally reach for my smart phone as a distraction, I try to instead take a closer look at my surroundings and sometimes I notice something new. Now, excuse me while I check my smart phone.

[i] Bill David. “Exploiting the Neuroscience of Internet Addiction,” The Atlantic (July 18, 2012),http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/07/exploiting-the-neuroscience-of-internet-addiction/259820/ (accessed February 10, 2013).
[ii] XKCD, “Addiction,” XKCD: A Webcomic of Romance, Sarcasm, Math, and Language,             http://xkcd.com/597/ (accessed 2-10-2013).