Addiction to Technology

    Do you think that you are addicted to information/internet/Social Media? Do you think that you may have a tiny problem with that? that (just) maybe you are loosing the control?
    Some time ago I asked a question whether we are ready to slow down with social media/internet, etc. And since that time I have noticed that people who I am working with, some of my friends and I – we are not slowing down but we even try to speed up.
    I have to admit that I feel good (so far) about that, I think that it’s not a problem to stay connected on-line as long as possible. I just watched 2 movies which made me think – that my life is totally different than 15 years ago – when I was more off-line than on-line.
    First movie: Yelp: With Apologies to Allen Ginsberg’s it’s a tribute to Allen Ginsberg’s classic 1956 poem, filmmakers created a short film lampooning the addictions of our generation (technology can be addictive). It’s narrated by Peter Coyote.

Technology can be addictive. In a tribute to Allen Ginsberg’s classic 1956 poem, we created a short film lampooning the addictions of our generation. It’s narrated by Peter Coyote.
The filmmaking team behind “Yelp: With Aplogies to Allen Ginsberg’s Howl,” also made the 2011 Sundance documentary “Connected: An Autoblogography about Love, Death & Technology.”

Filmmaker and Webby Awards founder Tiffany Shlain latest film, Connected: An Autoblogography About Love, Death, and Technology”, premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. movie trailer:

Connected, is about the evolution of human communication and how it has changed our lives, for better and for worse

    Have you ever been in a situation describer by Tiffany: sneaking to the bathroom during a dinner at the restaurant just to check an email? For Tiffany it was a wake-up call to do something about that, to think what’s going on with us…and that was the beginning of the idea for the movie. But just think about it – what does it mean for you? Probably you already noticed that but didn’t do anything about that. I remember how many times I was (and still am) attached to my laptop or smartphone…checking emails/surfing via social media, checking/testing new apps, read latest news, etc. – just to stay connected 24/7
    Are you in situation when instead of looking by the window to check the weather you are checking it on-line? Maybe it’s not a big deal right now, because we have all those friends all over the internet, we are ok! right?
    So what’s next with us – people who are addicted to the information/on-line world? What will our future look like? Right now I don’t mind but within next 5-10-15 years?
    Are we ready to slow down?
    Are we ready to leave iPhone at home and go for a walk with friends?

    ohh and one more thing before some of you will try to say that it’s good to slow down with technology/information/internet – thanks to all those 3 we are able to move faster with the development (in medicine, technology, etc.) – so more lives can be saved. etc.

    …so are we ready to “unplug and revisit present tens”

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And here’s a bonus youtube video: Brian Solis talks with Tiffany Shlain, filmmaker and Webby Awards founder. Her latest film, Connected: An Autoblogography About Love, Death, and Technology, premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.

klaudia

social media helper for Older Adults and Non-Techies | blogger at groovypinkblog.com | guest speaker | coach | helping Baby Boomers and Older Adults to understand social media, stay safe online and discover iPhone/iPad world

7 Comments:

  1. I would be the first to admit I am pretty addicted to the internet. It takes away boredom and replaces it with… well… non boredom. However, I agree that it is time to take a step back and slow down. No matter how much I use the internet I still find it much more fun to actually hang out with friends in a treehouse rather than a chat-room spammed with farmville.

    • Thank you so much for your comment. I’m wondering whether we know when to stop or just find that balance between on-line and off-line worlds. I hope I’ll be able to find it 😉

  2. Pingback: Bookmarks for October 18th from 21:11 to 21:33 « Mark's life

  3. Not addicted, but rather connected since the medium is more a tool of communication. Anything is addictive folks are predisposed to that personality trait. I see it as that we use our technology tools as an extension – mobile, tablet, laptops make it so easy to take it with us everywhere that we are just on the move with these tools now and the connectivity with the internet integrates it into our lives. The issue is can you can just disconnect from these tools? I think folks need to take that time out. Especially for those of us who telecommute out of our homes, it’s a bigger issue to ensure we have moments where we just let the devices go and re-connect with ourselves. Great piece, Klaudia.

    • Thank you Jennifer for your comment. I agree with you – that we should remember to disconnect from time to time and just stay away for a second from all those tools you mentioned about. The thing is that many of us got used to those devices/to that constant connection – that we just don’t feel we need/want to disconnect.

  4. I am a graduate in an international communications school in Israel and have been researching this subject for a year now. I have created a youtube page regarding this subject, filled with videos that I have filmed and uploaded.

    I decided to go around Israel to find volunteers to give up their cell phones and laptops for just 3 days, and I documented them as they did so.

    Please check it out at my youtube page. The link is listed below:

    http://www.youtube.com/user/REWINDtheFUTURE2011

    Enjoy and please comment and share! We need to REWIND the FUTURE!!!!

    • Thank you Natale. I just watched your video and yes I agree – we are addicted to technology/internet/hi-tech gadgets and just simple thought that we can stay 1 day without all those devices – in that case smartphones – it’s out of the question.

      Interesting research, thank you so much for sharing!

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