"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.