Our world have become addicted and dependent on instant gratification... our children... our adults... most of us are constantly \"CONNECTED\" and \"WAITING.\" We anxiously wait for that \"ping.\" In our on-demand, \"now\" driven world we have become conditioned to believe we must respond instantly and demand personal instant responses. We have no patience. We have no time for anyone else. We want what we want, when we want it and we want it NOW. Most of all WE WANT TO BE LIKED!<\/p>\n
What's the problem?<\/strong><\/p>\n The problem is what we have and are losing as a result of our cultural addiction. We are losing our human connection - with self and others. We are losing trust, unity and communion... as we become overly concerned of WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK, as we hide behind our computers and pass judgement on others. We are more connected - yet more disconnected from self and others. Is this true?<\/p>\n Arron Colen of The Blaze wrote:<\/p>\n More and more of the people who got rich by drawing our attention, and building our addiction, to computers, smartphones and social media apps are swearing off their creations because of how bad they can be for people\u2019s minds.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Like fast food CEOs who don\u2019t eat junk food or cigarette company executives who refuse to smoke, tech engineers and developers who created the social platforms that dominate today\u2019s \u201cattention economy\u201d are starting to realize that even though their creations are good for their bank accounts, they can be bad for the people they\u2019re selling them to.<\/p>\n Take former Facebook engineer Justin Rosenstein as an example: He invented the \u201clike\u201d button, a revolutionary creation that changed the internet drastically when it was announced in 2009. Now, he limits his own use of Facebook, he\u2019s banned himself from SnapChat, and he has parental controls on his phone that prevent him from downloading any apps.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt is very common for humans to develop things with the best of intentions and for them to have unintended, negative consequences,\u201d Rosenstein said to The Guardian. People swipe or tap their smartphones an average of more than 2,000 times per day. That can lead to a severe lack of ability to focus for long periods of time, also known as \u201ccontinuous partial attention.\u201d<\/p>\n Just having a smartphone around, even if it\u2019s turned off, can have a detrimental effect on brain function and attention. After all, you never know what notifications you might be missing, right?<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone is distracted. All of the time,\u201d Rosenstein said.<\/p>\n What does a tech engineer who\u2019s tired of tech do?<\/strong> (H\/T The Blaze and The Guardian) The article brings to light several issues that we need to consider:<\/p>\n Technological progress has merely provided us with more efficient means for going backwards.<\/strong><\/em>Informational Insights: Creator of Attention & Generation Crisis<\/h2>\n
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\nWhat\u2019s wrong with social media?<\/strong>
\nRosenstein said he is concerned with the psychological effects of social media on individuals and on society as a whole, particularly in the political realm.<\/strong> He also cited studies that warn of the negative cognitive impact of technology over-exposure.<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nHow did Rosenstein come to these conclusions and learn about the damaging affects of social media and technology on our attention spans? He started a company that focuses on improving office productivity. There is perhaps no better place to observe the quantifiable drain of tech on attention than in an office.
\n\u2018The last generation that can remember life before\u2019<\/strong>
\nCollege students born in the mid-1990s don\u2019t remember a time when people had to look things up in dictionaries or encyclopedias. <\/strong>
\nHigh school kids born after the turn of the century are unfamiliar with a world in which people weren\u2019t connected 24\/7 to their friends, family, and strangers by a handheld device.
\nRosenstein, who is 34, is a member of one of the last generations with significant memories that took place before the internet became everything. And that\u2019s why he\u2019s concerned about this now.<\/strong>
\n\u201cOne reason I think it is particularly important for us to talk about this now is that we may be the last generation that can remember life before,\u201d Rosenstein said.<\/p>\n
\n <\/p><\/blockquote>\nPossibilities for Consideration: ENOUGH TALK - WE MUST RESTORE<\/h2>\n
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Add Your Insight:\u00a0Learning & Being a Part of the Change We Want to SEE<\/em><\/h2>\n
\nALDOUS HUXLEY<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"