Technology Flashcards
Net effect of technology is lobotomising i.e. make someone less able to function mentally or emotionally
Consumed by technology such mindlessness has become an epidemic
We’ve convinced ourselves that we’re multitasking rather than failing to focus.
Students can use one of many available products to curtail their online forays and curb their appetite for distraction
The simple answer is that we’re obsessed, but that term requires unpacking. Even though it might make us anxious – the official term is ‘TechnoStressed’ – we feel we must constantly check our various accounts because we can.
Some psychologists don’t believe that internet addiction is an actual disorder, but rather a consequence of boredom or unhappiness
Psychologists believe that social media creates a ‘dopamine induced loop’ of craving and satisfaction. Getting a fix gives us a rush. All we have to do is see that someone has given one of our Facebook posts the thumbs-up, and dopamine feeds our brain’s pleasure centre, satisfying the craving. When the effect wears off, we crave it again.
What we read affects how we write, particularly when it comes to syntactic complexity.
An even bigger problem is the way that technology damages critical-thinking skills. Because knowledge is so ubiquitous, we don’t have to hone it as sharply and we don’t have to commit much to memory
Researchers from University College London report that readers skim information, rarely reread, and engage in something called ‘power browsing’ rather than actual reading
Regardless of whether technology ultimately proves to be a force for progress or for devolution, for connection or for isolation, for knowledge or for brainwashing, getting savvier about technology and its effects can only help.
Will technology become the Darwinian force of our development?
We check our social media accounts with a frequency that bears no relationship to any communicative need. We live in a state of perpetual distraction.
We need a social and political movement - digital temperance - to take back control. We must foster a culture of restraint.
An online life breeds narcissism, alienation and depression and an insanity-inducing influence on the politically-engaged. It takes more than it gives from creativity and deep thought.
We must create more spaces where internet use is discouraged, illegal or taboo.
Only a movement can save you from the tyrant in your pocket.
