Found This On “Social" Media

3/1/2014

An excerpt from a Forbes article:

Distraction

A common use for media and technology is to distract ourselves from the present moment. In an uncertain world, the chance to be distracted from our worries and the pressures of life is often welcome. Media and technology can provide us with a temporary escape from reality, but like with addictive drugs, the pressing concerns of life don’t disappear — though when we are distracted with Twitter or Netflix they may fade into the unnoticed background for a while. Distraction (and remedy to boredom) is perhaps the worst use of technology because we pay for it with our most valuable asset –time– and we get little of value in the exchange.

An example of this negative outcome from technology is Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD), recognized by the Chinese government as a major threat to its youth population. On a smaller scale, how many of us are guilty of spending time in essentially pointless browsing of the limitless possibilities of the Internet, or of compulsively checking Facebook and email? Is the compounded effect (and opportunity cost) of this pattern of behavior really in our best interest?

Substitution

Substitution is another common use for technology, where the stimulus we get from devices becomes an all-too-easy substitute for real-world interactions. It is clear to see the potential downside of this trend: What happens when we begin to feel that we don’t have to physically engage in the world anymore because technology engages for us? Why build relationships when you have hundreds of ‘friends’ on Facebook? Why learn to cook when with much less effort you can watch professional chefs cook impressive and exotic food on TV? Why explore your own neighborhood when you can see the whole world from your computer? Why take the time to travel to visit your relatives when you can click a screen and instantly see them on a Skype session? The answers to these rhetorical questions are obvious – since nothing beats having real food to eat, real hugs from friends and family, and real wind in our faces as we explore the world around us. Digital is easy and instant. While real is better, it takes more effort.

The digital tools we use are only representations of the real world and are no substitute for it; though the promise of virtual access to everything from our devices can pull us in like a magnet. I often wonder: Will we be able to teach our children to consciously choose the real more often than the virtual?

1/24/2014 @ 10:23AM

by Kevin Ready from How To Get Even More Value From Your Technology: Turn It Off

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