"Technology overload can ruin relationships..."

This article published by Reuters is very forthcoming with the claims that "technology might be just as addictive as alcohol and drugs and could also wreak havoc with person and work relationships." The author supports this claim with the expert opinion of John O'Neill, a director of additions services at a clinic, stating that he sees addiction-like behavior in his patients regarding cell phones or emails. Using statistics and evidence such as "6 to 10 percent of the approximation 189 Internet users in the United States have a dependency on technology", the author appeals to both the pathos and logos of her readers.

Comparing alcohol and drug addictions to internet addictions forces the reader to see how unhealthy an internet addiction truly is because it allows you to attribute the negative consequences of more documented addictions to a seemingly innocent transgression. This is the warrant of the article, because the underlying assumption is that internet addictions are just as dangerous as drug and alcohol - whether or not this true, I do not know. The author does not have much persuasion by way of evidence or grounds to make these claims other than citing the opinion of one addiction professional.

Time Vampires

from xkcd

Concentration and productivity are quite possibly two very important things that have been in a rampant state of decline since the emergence of the internet. With sites like Wikipedia and search engines like Google, it's possible to find almost any information about anything via internet - but what are the harmful effects of this easy of access. Our brains are being rewired to take in chunks of information in very short bursts, just think about how many times you check Facebook or your phone while you study (or are even in class). Online everything is new and interesting, if you get bored you can just click a new link.

I would assume this same "rewiring" has caused multitasking abilities to increase. I'm currently texting a few friends, watching the latest Walking Dead episode, and idly video chatting all while writing this blog entry. Yes, all of this varies on the individual, but if it is possible to get away with why not multitask? Our brains are wired to prioritize information depending on their importance, but when it is being flooded with multiple distractions and sources, how does it know which to choose? Needless to say, productivity and concentration have decreased.

We always talk of how there are never enough hours in the day, maybe we just need to work on how to spend the hours we're allotted. There are so many "productivity apps" and resources that help users limit their distractions by limiting their time spent or even blocking certain websites - shouldn't we be able to self-police a bit better? Digital distractions are only going to increase, so what can we do as digital natives to keep the negative effects of them at bay?

"We are all cyborgs now"

 

Amber Case brings up important ideas of the "second self", the impact of technology on culture, access, mental transportation (or "wormholes"), and technology's overall effects on "self".  A short 7-minute talk leaving you with a lot to think about and digest. I really enjoyed this TEDtalk because it addressed many of my concerns about technology and communication from an anthropological perspective and had an overall positive outlook - something that I feel really needs to be emphasized, technology is here to stay so we might as well embrace it.

"Whether you like it or not, you are staring to show up online, and people are interacting with your second self when you're not there." It is an odd and foreign concept to digest, people interacting with me without my knowledge. The internet is a scary place, I could wake up one morning with my Facebook defaced in any number of ways and I would have no idea how many people witnessed it before I took whatever was offensive down. Many people I know are combating this by temporarily "deactivating" their Facebook when they are not online - this seems like a good idea, that way you are not only able to control who sees your profile and information, but also when. 

Case ends her talk with the idea of humans co-creating technology to aid in the human connection - increasing and improving what it is to be human.We all know that technology makes our figurative world smaller, but I her metaphor of the cell phone being a "wormhole" really hit home to me. We essentially have everyone we know, and hold close, right at our fingertips - that accessibility is comforting but also frightening at the same time because as she said, we lose that time to reflect and in result we may lose our "self". What steps can we take to take a step back from our cellphones or computers and get to know ourselves again? This new generation of young adults will not know what it is like to grow up without this accessibility, what new changes will we see in their future? It'll be interesting to find out.

Complete Overload

I think many of us have been there, stressed and overrun with work or school, so much to do with so little time. There's also that other type of stress you get when you have a specific goal and a million different ways to achieve it, you have a destination but you lack direction. This image appeals to our inner scatter-brained, overwhelmed, and directionless self - both an appeal to pathos and ethos mostly by means of a severe lack of space. The character gives off a feeling of suffocation, completely surrounded by the image of rogue information and technology that is flying at them. Their head is turned in two separate directions, arms outstretched, and their thought is "? um?!!"; this image really gives off a feeling of being overwhelmed.

Value, Technology, and Language

Placing a great deal of value on knowledge can have devastating effects; one can either be left with a sense of complacency and hopelessness due to the idea that knowledge in limitless, or one can feel a sense of urgency to strive to obtain as much knowledge as possible. With the widespread use of the Internet, information and knowledge is at our fingertips, but are we using this technology to benefit our society as a whole or as a means to sustain pleasure for oneself? We can only assume that there are a vast number of answers to that question, but one past the motivator and directly address the problem.

Growing up in a digital age is a new concept that did not need to be addressed until quite recently, and there is much debate about the benefits and potential harms of this “new media”. The new voice of the digitalized society will soon be a hybridization and amalgamation of both the literal and oral, this is already seen through acronyms as “LOL” and the abbreviations of words such as “bc” for “because”. The question of whether this will lead in an advance or decline of literacy should be addressed. One can make the argument that the literate user of this hybrid language has the ability to compartmentalize, knowing when to employ academic language over the hybrid. That might be the case for those who are already literate and adopting the new language, but what about those who are being born into this new language? If we keep oversimplifying the English language, two very alarming things may occur: 1. The English language evolves past the point of recognition, leaving behind and losing its structured and historical roots, and 2. the inability of non-English speakers to adopt English as a second language. The latter concern further presses the idea of losing English as a global language.

The statistics on digital media is actually quite frightening, it was the only text that really spoke out to me because I could plainly see the causality between activities such as texting its negative ramifications. But also, truthfully, it’s the only issue that I directly take part in. Should we just throw our hands up accept the presence of the booming technological era? Or should we embrace it with open arms? I’m on the fence about which is feasible and which is more beneficial. We use technology every day, and it is not until we take a step back and gain perspective that we can actually see that it’s hurting us. For the time being, I believe we have more pressing matters at hand that can be much more easily rectified – such as the state of the economy and issues of immigration – so problems with the evolution of our language will have to be blissfully ignored.

Thoughts about Technology - An Introduction

Earlier this year I read an article in the New York Times stating that research shows that those who participate in activities such as text messaging, internet browsing, and video gaming experience high stress levels and lose the ability to maintain focus. Being a member and completely immersed in this digital age, the statistics we’re somewhat frightening and I can’t help but wonder if I am experiencing the same effects. These dwindling attention spans are resulting in serious repercussions, such as regressions in education, literacy, and success – three areas I’m interested in from a linguistic perspective in addition to technology and the effects on language.

What effects does the digital age have on the English language and how we use it? The introduction of text message jargon is now commonplace in the academic world much to the dismay of educators.  The “net” is no longer a physical object, but something abstract to be explored, expanded, and utilized. Words like “blog” and “lol” have emerged, advances in technology help language evolved.

As someone contemplating pursuing an MLIS degree, I find myself thinking about the flow of information on the web versus traditional settings. The internet provides its users with practically unlimited knowledge, how does this change educational learning practices and institutions? Who moderates this information? How much learning actually occurs in the classroom these days? Is learning hindered or enabled by technology? Digital distractions are rampant and technology is rewiring our brains to become habituated to constantly switching tasks, the influx of information is nearly impossible to process consciously. These are all questions I’d like to explore throughout the duration of this blog.