Can we survive without technology? Key messages from Adam Alter's book Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technologies
To the question: Does the introduction of new technologies affect people? given by the author Caucasian the best answer is Are you talking about Nano technology?? ?
well written
constant development computer technology The number of people actively using computers for work purposes, as well as those who are overly addicted to computer games and using the Internet, the so-called computer addicts (by the term addict we will mean dependent users), is growing. As with everything innovative, the impact of new technologies in to a greater extent The younger generation (10-30 years old) is susceptible.
In Western countries there is an official term "pathological computer use". Currently, this term (“pathological computer use”) is used for that category of people who pathologically use the computer in general, including types of use that are not related to social ones. Although existence psychological dependence from computer games and the use of the Internet still raises doubts, both among specialists and people themselves who are interested in modern computer technologies.
Mainly, dependence on modern computer technologies is expressed in two main forms:
Internet addiction (Internet addiction)
excessive passion for computer games.
These two forms have both common features and differences.
General features computer addiction is a characteristic series of psychological and physical symptoms that are closely related to each other:
Psychological symptoms:
good health or euphoria at the computer;
inability to stop;
increasing the amount of time spent at the computer;
neglect of family and friends;
feelings of emptiness, depression, irritation when not at the computer;
lying to employers or family members about your activities;
problems with work or study.
Physical symptoms:
carpal tunnel syndrome (tunnel damage to the nerve trunks of the hand associated with prolonged muscle strain);
dry eyes;
migraine-type headaches;
back pain;
irregular eating, skipping meals;
neglect of personal hygiene;
sleep disorders, changes in sleep patterns.
Pathological computer use may not be as dangerous in its impact on a person as, for example, alcoholism or drug addiction (chemical dependencies). However, it is obvious that computer addiction still negatively affects a person’s personality.
Source: internet
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Hello! Here is a selection of topics with answers to your question: Does the introduction of new technologies affect people?
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Still HOW!! 111
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That's how he implements them!
The 21st century burst into our lives very quickly and brought with it rapid development computer technologies and everything connected with them. We are used to the fact that all our phones and important contacts recorded on phones, computers, laptops and other portable gadgets. We completely rely on technology, we are dependent on it. Count how many computers, monitors, and phones you have at home! Many? There are probably more phones than there are people in your family, and everyone probably has their own computer.
Why are we so dependent on modern technologies and everything connected with them?
Problem
Development of addiction
Did you know that some video games trigger the release of dopamine in the brain? Let us remember that dopamine is also released during sex and eating, things that are considered necessary for the survival of humans as a species. It turns out to be a vicious circle - games give an impulse for the release of dopamine, and dopamine is something like a pleasure hormone (its narcotic analogues are amphetamine, methamphetamine, ephedrine), respectively, later we again want to get a buzz from the game and we sit down to play again.
But dopamine isn't only released when we play video games. Checking your email has exactly the same effect. Count how many times a day you check your mailbox, even if there is nothing particularly important there? This is especially true sound signals, which accompany the receipt of a new letter. You don’t know if this message is important, but your hands are still itching to see what came there, even if it’s just another spam. It turns out that there is a direct dependence on signals, and Pavlov’s experiments with dogs come to mind.
So far there have only been desktop computers, the problem wasn't that big. But as soon as laptops, netbooks, smartphones and various gadgets like the iPad, everything has become much worse, because now you check your email (twitter, facebook, vkontakte - underline as necessary) not only at home, but also in transport, in a cafe, on a picnic, wherever there is access to the Internet. And now you can add here mobile internet and WiFi.
Information overload
We now process three times more information than we did 50 years ago. And it is becoming more and more. If previously it took a lot of effort and time to print a book, now it’s enough to sit down at the computer and put it on the Internet. Only now not only writers, journalists and various public figures write, but everyone who can write and read. Accordingly, it is now necessary to filter even more carefully and much larger amounts of information. And despite all this, we cannot spend even three days calmly without reading the news (especially those related to the world of technology), because we are afraid that we will miss something and will not catch up. As the black queen from “Alice Through the Looking Glass” said, “In our world, my dear, to stay in one place, you need to run, and to move, you need to run even faster.”
Technology etiquette
In the last few years, “pocket” devices have been updated at a tremendous speed. Is it right to write even a short post on Twitter while driving? I think not. But some people do it anyway. In the same way, it would not be very polite to sit in the company of friends and bury your nose in your smartphone and read the news feed there or check your email. Please remember that you are not required to respond to all messages immediately. Yes, there are cases when it is urgent, but still hands reach out to check and answer. It’s great when it’s good news - share the positive news with your friends, but if all this is not very pleasant, then not only are you not taking a break from work, but you’re also spoiling the mood of the people around you.
Solution
So what should we do to stop constantly staring at screens and not spending weekends and evenings at the console, and finally begin to see and hear the world and people around us?
Out of sight, out of mind
The usual scenario: you take your phone out of your pocket to check the time, at the same time you start checking your e-mail, this entails answering letters, etc. As a result, the simple and short operation “check the time” turns into a whole set of operations that takes 5 times as long. If you pull out your phone to check the time, try to do just that and nothing more. If it’s really difficult to resist checking your email, wear a watch on your wrist.
You are not a multitasking machine.
This does not mean that you now need to do everything separately. Listening to your favorite tracks while running can also be considered multitasking, but this is encouraged. But trying to simultaneously watch a TV show or a movie and doing work at the same time is not very welcome. You will not be able to concentrate properly on your work and will miss the most interesting things in the program. In the end, constantly combining things will lead to the fact that you simply will no longer be able to normally concentrate on just one thing. As a result, the work will not be completed as efficiently for more long time. This also includes working on a computer on a project and simultaneously checking messages in instant messengers, twitter and social networks. As an experiment, try turning off everything unnecessary and focusing only on work. I think it will take you half as much time as with messengers turned on and social networks open.
Never apologize
How often do you apologize for not being able to answer the phone because you were on the subway/walking with your child/working out at the gym? First of all, you don't have to apologize for being unavailable working hours . Secondly, it shows your addiction to responding to messages immediately. Stop apologizing. You are human and you simply may not be able to do everything right now. Give yourself the luxury of responding to a message when you have the opportunity and mood to do so. Of course, this doesn't mean you can safely ignore emails from clients during business hours. Otherwise, people may get the wrong feeling that you can answer calls and emails at any day and time of day.
Organize your time
We usually talk more about organizing our time than we actually do it. Start with mail! Many email clients They offer you tools that are very convenient for this task (folders, shortcuts, etc.). " " from Google will be very useful for dividing your messages into simply “important” and “very important”. IN at the moment There is only a beta version available not for everyone.
In any case, losing the habit of always and everywhere being inseparable from your devices and remaining without connection for a long time does not pass without pain. Get ready, in any case you will have withdrawal symptoms and slight panic that you missed something. But it's worth it. You will feel much freer and the “always connected” state gives only apparent freedom, in fact, tightly tying us to the technology and places of “residence” of the Internet.
Technologies
How many devices do you currently have on hand? How often in the last hour have you checked your accounts on social networks? When was the last time you played video games? The answers to these questions may seem unrelated, but Technology addiction is becoming increasingly real, and can have dire consequences. According to a study published in PLoS ONE magazine, people addicted to the Internet may chemical changes occur in the brain similar to those that occur in alcoholics and drug addicts. And that's just online - think of all the other technologies we're exposed to every day.
So, “diseases” associated with technology.
1. Phantom Vibration Syndrome
Have you ever grabbed your mobile phone with complete confidence, as if you felt that it was vibrating, only to discover that it was not humming at all? This is what many call "phantom vibration syndrome." Sufferers of the syndrome feel vibration even when their devices are in a completely different room. The name is most likely borrowed from phantom limb syndrome, a condition in which someone who has lost a limb experiences sensory hallucinations as if it were still functioning. A similar thing happens with phantom vibration syndrome, when a person perceives phones as an extension of himself. According to a book by a psychology professor Larry Rosen iDisorder, 70 percent of those who actively use mobile devices experience phantom vibrations.
2. Internet addiction
Internet addiction or Internet addiction is a compelling desire to use the Internet in such a way that it begins to interfere with everyday life. Research shows that Internet addiction can lead to the same type of social problems, as well as other established addictions, such as gambling. It is important to note, however, that Internet addiction is not yet recognized as a disorder. In 2008, in an editorial in American Journal of Psychiatry Dr. Jerald J. Block wrote that Internet addiction can be characterized by excessive Internet use, withdrawal symptoms after abrupt cessation of use, and negative consequences such as fatigue. Pathological Internet use can also lead to serious depression.
3. Social media addiction
Considered to be a type of internet addiction, social media addiction is probably one of the most common technology addictions of recent times. Researchers from the University of Chicago surveyed 250 people. They received more than eight thousand reports about the daily desires of respondents and their interactions with devices. According to the study, it is much more difficult to give up checking and updating a page on social networks than to give up drinking alcohol or tobacco.
In Norway, researchers have proposed a method called the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale that will help users figure out whether they suffer from social addiction. The test is based on six main criteria. With its help, you can find out how dependent a person is on social networks.
4. Gambling addiction
Gaming addiction, like Internet addiction, is characterized by the interference of games in aspects of life, and along with it, it is not yet officially considered a disorder. However, excessive the use of video games is already leading to dire consequences. The fatal outcome of this addiction has already been recorded - in July 2011, a 20-year-old programmer died from deep vein thrombosis due to leading a sedentary lifestyle for too long.
Here is a transcript of an interview conducted by Nir Eyal, a renowned business consultant and entrepreneur, with David Burkus, an award-winning psychology, leadership and business podcast host and professor of management at Oral Roberts University College of Business. (Oral Roberts University) and the author of the bestselling book “ New style management. New Management: the Unexpected Truths about Leading Great Organizations. This conversation focused on topics such as technology obsession and maintaining work-life balance. Happy reading.
Nir: When companies come to me asking how they can make a product that can do , about half the time I have to apologize and say that they have no chance. There are a number of criteria, by analyzing which we can say whether a particular product has the potential to form a habit or not. But that doesn't mean these companies should go out of business; they may well become successful without such products.
Have you ever looked at a company and said, “Hey, your workplace doesn't look exciting enough. You won’t get high returns from people, everything is pretty standard, routine work”? Or does every company have the potential to create more interesting products?
David: There are professions that are not destined to become the subject of children's dreams. But even taking this into account, you can always find companies that strive to properly arrange the workspace of their employees.
From an organizational behavior perspective, we tend to rely on Frederick Taylor, the father of scientific management. It belongs to him best ideas about how to manage a factory and people whose job is to repeat the same operations over and over again and solve the same problems. But most people today are not engaged in this kind of work, and Taylorism is becoming something of a bogeyman: “Dull, dull and monotonous work is still the main object of the claims of scientific management, but for working with information we need more autonomy and a higher workspace. quality."
Nir: At the very least, workspaces give people the opportunity to create community, to build relationships. Even if the work itself leaves much to be desired, perhaps it is the care of team members for each other that becomes the saving grace that helps to overcome various kinds of difficulties.
David: It's true, we are all responsible for each other. In Taylor's era there were only two things: labor and management - and management's job was to tell workers what to do. The idea that we are all in the same boat and can collectively overcome any challenge is as old as time, but in the world of management it is still something new.
Nir: How expensive could such autonomy be? Think about the Hawthorne effect, which states that people perform better at their jobs when they feel they are being watched. What do you think about this?
David: The Hawthorne effect, in my opinion, is the presence of contact, the connectedness of people with each other. Labor productivity begins to increase when people feel that you pay attention to their work, that you care. This is the connection.
Employees often make this known to their employers or clients, who are told, “We want feedback" It only works if you then say, “Okay, we hear you, and here's what we'll do.” The fact that we listen to each other and make changes based on your needs means that care and attention matter.
Nir: It is the understanding that I am not being controlled; that I am capable of exerting some influence.
David: Exactly. We follow the trend that the more often people can communicate with each other, the higher the quality of their collaboration. Nowadays it increasingly seems like we are being overburdened. Email, social media, and now we need to break the habit of using them so we can focus on the right things.
If I understand your work correctly, all these things are natural for this kind of product, but what to do with them?
Nir: We live in a world where there are so many great products and services that it can sometimes be difficult to turn down them. Plus, many of them are free and easily accessible. In many ways, this can be considered a blessing, but Sophocles also said that “nothing great enters the life of mortals without a curse.”
This happens with every revolution. For the first time in history everything more people die from excess calories rather than from deficiency, more people die from excess rather than from starvation. This is the problem agriculture. The Industrial Revolution gave us mechanization - no one wants to go back to the age of the steam engine - but now we have a man-made pollution problem.
It should be noted that in the current information age The main disadvantage of all these products and services that can instantly connect us with each other is that attention itself becomes a scarce resource. This is the price we are forced to pay. We are the first generation to have to master all these technologies. For our children and grandchildren, all this will not seem like something out of the ordinary. They quickly adapt to all this, but for us all these technologies will always remain something new, and we have not yet figured out what place to give them in our lives.
We still haven't figured out the main question: does technology serve us, or do we serve it? The boogeyman of my industry is B.F. Skinner and the Skinner boxes that keep people pushing buttons all day long. But the reality is that this has nothing to do with coercion. People do this willingly and voluntarily.
For the most part, all of these things are great. But there are also people who have not only become accustomed to new technologies, but have become dependent on them, but most will still be able to put their smartphones on the shelf without much difficulty and not touch them. Most people moderate their behavior.
But the catch is that these people cannot do without these technologies at work. Without the same work email and instant messengers. People are not dependent on technology, they are dependent on their work.
David: Why is work email so addictive? When you signed up in 2008, you wouldn't think you'd voluntarily sign up to take work home every night, but that's exactly what we've come to. Previously, there were workers available on request, they were given Blackberry phones, and even then we should have taken this as a kind of warning.
Do you really think that we are actually so addicted to work that if we gave up work email, we would still feel the need to continue working 24/7?
Nir: Let's say that tomorrow you win $20,000,000 in the lottery. And now you don't need to hang around in the office all day long. Will you still use Slack? Will you still be using SharePoint or Salesforce? No, you will stop using all these programs and services because the only reason you used them is because your boss said so. Most people won't say, "Oh my God, I can't leave my job because I love using Salesforce so much." This is not software, it's a burden of work. It's "my boss is waiting for me, my clients are waiting for me, we have to be in touch all the time."
This is the real source of the problem. Tools make it worse, but if you take away one of the variables, you will see that people will very quickly stop using these technologies unless they are in their workplace. This is not the case in the consumer internet when it comes to Facebook and Twitter. People love to use these products, but this is a different category of service where the product itself has perhaps more influence than the user. When it comes to enterprise products, many people, if suddenly hit with 20,000,000, would never check their work email.
David: If 20 million fell on me, I would go to Facebook, but only to talk about my winnings.
When I look at research into the factors that improve employee productivity, I immediately think of K. Anders Ericsson's research on mindful practice. One of the study's findings was that people who achieved world-class excellence in their profession took more time off than the average person. Their work session was 90 minutes and then they took a break.
We understand that the less time we work, the more valuable that time becomes. When you are involved in work day and night, no one will tell you “go home, be with your wives, children and loved ones.” Is there anything we can do on an individual level to protect ourselves and only work a certain number of hours?
Nir: There is a wonderful book called “Sleeping with Your Smartphone”. The author, Leslie Purlow, conducted the research for Boston Consulting Group. She gave the company's employees a simple task: "What can you do to give each team member one night of rest?" Many consultants at the firm said this was impossible: “We are in the service industry; our customers expect 24-hour service from us.”
Then she asked, “What would it take for you to be able to develop such a system?” In her research, she discovered that it was not just technology. It was about what didn't happen open channels communications between these consulting teams that can raise sensitive issues.
We see a similar situation everywhere. We see this in the family. Why does dad watch football every evening? Why can't we get together and talk as a family instead of sitting in front of the TV in the evenings? Why do teenagers disappear on their phones all day long?
Perhaps it is not new technologies that are to blame for this. Maybe we are just trying to escape from something. Maybe this is because there are no established lines of communication, no communication that can solve these problems. If anyone thinks that we are truly addicted to technology, I think it's not just technology. This is something to think about. “What am I running from? Why do I feel discomfort because I’m bored for just a few minutes?”
David: The book “Under New Management” offers a bunch of different practices. One of them is a complete ban or severe restriction on the use of email. People ask, “That's great, but how can we add it to our company culture?” But the truth is that these are not practices of addition, these are practices of elimination. They reason something like this: “Wait a minute. I want to do my job in the best possible way, but if something gets in my way, I have to remove it.”
In some cases it's email, in others it's the hiring process, in others it's a performance review system. The people who are best at their jobs should have the right to kill sacred cows. But we all prefer to follow the already established order.
Nir: These habits of mind, the urge to act as before, permeate many areas of our lives. The worst thing we can do is believe that technology controls us.
Research shows that drug addicts who believe that the drug controls them, that they are powerless against dope, have high level relapses. If we start to believe that email is addictive or that disaster will happen if we don't respond in a timely manner. incoming letter, if we consider ourselves powerless in the face of technology, that’s what we will become.
David: The real problem is the feeling that these things control us. And the real problem with companies is the belief that they control their employees. We live in an era where truly talented leaders understand that every person is essentially a free agent and always has the opportunity to leave and find another job.
Organizations' assumption that they can control and model employee behavior is dangerous. A person continues to work for you only as long as you give him what he needs. Once it's gone, he's gone.
We spent a lot of time talking about changing behavior and questioning many beliefs. Was there something that controlled you, but when you started to question it, you changed your behavior?
Nir: My greatest successes in life have come from questioning my core beliefs. Some of them were very personal. When I was 18, I took a year off between school and college. This was in 1997. AmeriCorps, the domestic peace corps, had just been launched by the Clinton administration. I was in my first or second year when I decided to give it a try. Everyone around me told me: “This is a stupid idea. You won't want to go back to college again." My parents begged me not to do this. Now we call it a year of rest, a gap year, but then no one did that. It was one of the best things I've ever done.
David: Your path is more philosophical than mine.
I currently use two devices. One for email work, writing and social media. At the end of the day I switch to my iPad, which I use mostly for entertainment: Facebook, Netflix and more.
Strategy for working with by email through two devices - great way understand whether you depend on it or not. If you, while using another device, constantly reach for the one on which mail is available, then you are addicted.
Nir: Very good advice. I'll give you one more.
A few years ago, I discovered that around 10 pm, when I should have gone to bed, I spent time on the Internet, reading articles, watching videos, etc., and did not go to bed on time. Then I purchased an inexpensive timer socket and connected the router to it. As soon as the time reached 10, the timer turned off the Internet. Of course, I could turn it back on if I wanted, but this required additional steps. But even this was enough for me to ask myself one simple question: do I really need the Internet to get anything done, or am I wasting my time? It's a simple question, but it makes a big difference.
Nowadays, more than ever, people are actively discussing the possible dependence of people on technology. Technology companies have even been forced to build into their software products special counters and limiters that would make us think about the time we use smartphones. Doctors admit addiction to computer games, and it’s hard to even imagine what will happen next. But is everything really that serious?
Psychologist Christopher Ferguson believes that many of the claims about the impact of technology on the human brain and body are completely unworthy of attention. Moreover, he is ready to bust a few myths for us based on his experience working with families, teenagers, and their attitudes towards technology, gaming and addictions.
Many people say that using technology activates the same reward centers in the brain that drugs do. This may be true, but these same pleasure centers are not necessarily activated by something harmful. Any entertainment leads to an increase in dopamine levels. This list could include delicious food, exercise, or pleasant conversation.
Pleasant activities increase dopamine levels by 50-100 percent. Drugs increase it by 200-350 percent. With this in mind, comparing computer games to drugs is like comparing a raindrop to a waterfall.
Technology addiction is not a mental illness
The World Health Organization has added computer game addiction to its list of diseases. Christopher Ferguson believes that the people responsible for this decision do not take into account the possibility that gaming addiction may be a symptom of other psychological disorders.
There are a huge number of contradictions that do not allow technology addiction to be considered an independent disorder. Many doctors admit this. Additionally, people who are called technology addicts tend to be able to recover from their disorders more easily than those with mental illnesses. It can be done without treatment.
Technology addiction is not caused by technology
A common argument in discussions is that people are attracted to the technology itself. Christopher Ferguson believes that people are starting to shift their attention to technology due to depression, anxiety and other problems. After all, no one thinks that people who are depressed and spend all day in bed have bed addiction.
With this in mind, it is worth paying attention to ways to treat technology addiction. If it is a symptom, then it is not the disease that needs to be treated, but the real disease.
It's not just technology that's capturing attention
At this point, Ferguson points out that people spend just as much time on other activities. For example, you can become interested in yoga or dancing. You can get so carried away that it also becomes like an addiction. By the way, you can find several scientific articles about dance addiction. It's hard to provide evidence that technology is more addictive than dancing.
Technology use does not lead to suicide
As proof that the world of modern technology brings us problems, some experts have provided data on the increase in suicide rates among female teenagers. What is not taken into account is that suicide rates have increased for all age groups. Growth began in 2008 during the financial crisis. Perhaps there is a more serious problem in society that is not noticed in the heat of the fight against technology.
Scientists sometimes make dire claims based on little data. We might as well say that eating potatoes and committing suicide are somehow related. Certain statistics can be attached to this statement.
Of course, there can be problems with using technology. But many simply cannot imagine their work today without computers and smartphones, and are happy to take a break from them later. There is a tiny kernel of truth in the discussion of problems and dependence on technology. However, there is no reason that there is some kind of technology-related crisis.