Technology Overload

Eddie Abralde
10/25/2010
#224074 eddie.abralde@gmail.com Technological Overload and the Anti-Social Media Phenomenon

Do you feel the need to look at your phone every five minutes? Do you check your Facebook page every half hour? Do you walk down the street with your mp3 player headphones in your ears walking and ignoring everything and everyone you come across? This is the world we live in, people are so addicted to technological devices they have forgotten what it is to be social. Social by definition is to live in companionship with others or in a community, rather than in isolation. The advent of social media is ironically the beginning of our social downfall. As if we are not bombarded by over 5000 commercial messages everyday, people look for more information like junkies looking for drugs. When do you pull the plug and realize that too much of anything, no matter how good it is, is a bad thing. Don’t get me wrong current technology trends like social media and texting in particular, have greatly changed the landscape of communication and the exchange of information. Overall, this is a positive phenomenon. However, for many people, this phenomenon is much more than a better way to gather and transfer world news or current events. The current technology trends are shaping our social lives and how we communicate in general. This phenomenon is affecting people of all ages. John O'Neill, director of social work at The Menninger Clinic, a psychiatric hospital in Houston, Texas says he has seen the effects of technological overload in patients at the Professionals in Crisis Program at The Menninger Clinic. “Patients spend hours each day on their computers, cell phones or BlackBerry devices, at the expense of their family or friends.” More importantly this phenomenon is affecting the young people in our society. According to research compiled and reported by sources such as the LA Times and the Kaiser Family Report, the following statistics give us a clear picture of how dependent our young people have become on modern technology: * Texting is the second common use of cell phones after checking the time. * Sixty-five percent of high school students use cell phones in school. * One-quarter of text messages sent by teens are sent during class. * Text messages connect kids instantly and privately. * Images and messages can be spread virally or uploaded. * Teens with phones averaged nearly 2,900 texts a month — a 566% increase in two years. It is also important to note that the average amount of computer usage time those between 8-18 years of age has tripled in the last 10 years, from 27 minutes in 1999 to 1 hour and 30 minutes in 2009. Technology has become an addiction just like drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol. Luckily there are treatment centers for this type of addiction like The Menninger Clinic. Our technological devices like Blackberry’s, iPhones, PDAs, laptops, and whatever the next best thing is can easily take over our lives. People are more wired than ever, and by wired I don’t mean coffee. That’s why they call it a Crackberry. It is sad but true. We live in a paradox where something as great as advancements in technology allow us to do so much but at the same time it’s a curse that we can do so much. It is clear that we are seeing a generation that is more involved in less “human-related” activities than their counterparts from previous generations. This generation has more dependencies on technology than any generation before it. It is easy to get lost in the technological world and overdose on information. So when do we pull the plug? According to John O’ Neill there are some warning signs to look for: * You panic or become irritable when you can't get cell phone service, your Internet connection is down or your cable or satellite feed is not working.

* You lose track of time. "You may have a problem if you consistently get lost in the Internet world, intending to spend an hour, and looking up, you discover it has been four hours".

* You lose track of family and friends. You spend less and less time participating in personal activities or limit your time with friends and family to attend to your email

* Your life revolves around technology and not actual relationships. "When you start or end your day on the Internet checking e-mails or chatting, that's a sign that technology is taking over your life," O'Neill said.

* You can't leave home without it. You can't take a vacation without bringing four different charging devices for all your gadgets

In the end technology is a great thing, but too much of it can be really bad. I encourage you to disconnect some times. Take time to admire the beauty of the natural things around you like people, animals, and agriculture. Be friendly and kind to your fellow man because when your device “dies” that will be all you have left.