Today’s
newspaper carried an interesting article titled “Electronics Overload” – which I
thought was a serendipitous follow-up for my previous blog (“Summer” – see below),
in which I touched on the behavioral and psychological drawbacks of too much empty
electronic media, resulting in a tortured emptiness of soul.
Coincidentally,
last week’s newspaper sounded the alarm about children spending 3 or more hours
per day using the computer. The concern of that article was the dearth of physical
activity.
The opening
paragraph of today’s article certainly caught my attention: “Parents addicted
to their electronic gadgets – and children who follow their example – stand
to lose brainpower . . . .”
Losing
brainpower is a scary prospect. According to the article, spending too much
time using electronic media can “re-wire” your brain in detrimental ways,
resulting in an inability to focus or think deeply. (So, now, I can attribute
my struggles with a more or less constant state of distraction to cyberoverload
rather than approaching Alzheimers. Hmmmmm. I am almost relieved.)
Two books
were cited as sources: “Conquer CyberOverload” by Joanne Cantor, and “The
Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains” by Nicholas Carr. Carr’s
book was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2011.
Describing
some of the detrimental effects of too much use of electronic devices, Carr
said, “We are welcoming frenziedness into our souls.” Our “capacity
for concentration and contemplation” is being depleted, robbing us of “our
ability to have certain kinds of thoughts and experiences – the kind of
thoughts and experiences that have defined our humanity” – resulting in a “shallowness
of thinking and relating.”
Loss of
brainpower is bad enough, as it limits our ability to grasp things meaningfully
and to communicate effectively. Loss of our ability to relate in deep and
meaningful ways is probably even worse, as we become mechanical with our
interactions: Less than fully human.
I haven’t
read Cantor’s or Carr’s books yet, but I think I shall. I’ll keep you posted on
what I glean from having done so.
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