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Addicted to Distraction

nytimes.com

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Re: Addicted to Distraction

#41

Post by nommm-nommm »

ThomPete wrote: post #6

I haven't really gotten my thoughts clear on this so excuse me for the probably unclear formulation. I recently realized that one of the unfortunate consequences of this is the way many in my generation (I'm 41) brings up our kids. Instead of teaching them one thing in depth we are forcing them through a million different subjects way before they even turn 10. It's not unusual in my circles that kids are both playing…

>It's not unusual in my circles that kids are both playing football, taking piano lessons, learning french on top of their school and homework.

We are filling our kid's time with all these structured activities to "enrich" their lives. To give them a leg up in the adult world. To make them smarter and well rounded. We fill our houses with a whole bunch of "enriching" toys.

This is extremely misguided.

The majority of a child's free time should be self directed. They need to experience boredom for proper development. Only in boredom do kids learn to be creative and process their thoughts in a meaningful way. They learn to live with the anxiety boredom creates and channel it into new ideas.

Micromanaging their lives leads to very poorly adjusted and anxious adults. I am very sad when I see car trip filled with iPads and TVs. Kids need to learn how to deal with the boredom of car rides and sit quietly with their thoughts.

Structured activities are great in moderation.

*Adults actually require boredom as well but it is especially valuable for the rapidly developing brains that kids have.

Re: Addicted to Distraction

#42

Post by g_delgado14 »

TillE wrote: post #7
rl3 wrote: post #4

This type of distraction is just another form of procrastination, which in turn is a product of any number of underlying psychological issues. Anxiety and depression come to mind.

I'd be willing to bet that a significant majority of "internet addiction" (are people still talking about that ?) or "game addiction" is actually just a symptom of depression.

Couldn't you say the reverse? One might say that depression is a symptom of internet addiction.

Re: Addicted to Distraction

#43

Post by gcek9 »

scep12 wrote: post #33

I recently wrote a chrome extension that helps me curb my "compulsion loop." It's pretty simple; each time the browser loads a website that has potentially distracting content (think: twitter, FB, reddit, hacker news, rotoworld, etc) that I tend to over-visit in search of new tidbits, the extension keeps track of my visit and the text content of the page. The next time I visit, I do a text comparison that checks how…

You should. I've had the same problem - subconsciously re-loading a site I've recently visited, realizing there is little/no new content on the front page, getting frustrated, and diving deeper in the hope of finding new tidbits.

By the time the cycle is done I've found nothing of value and wasted 3x the time normally spent.

Re: Addicted to Distraction

#44

Post by jfim »

eterm wrote: post #25
jfim wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For gmail, there's BatchedInbox[0], which makes your mail delivery happen once or twice a day, which breaks the "did I get new mail?" feedback loop. It worked well for me. [0] https://www.batchedinbox.com/

Those gmail permissions: Batched Inbox would like to: + View and manage your mail Sorry, but any solution which involves giving a third party access to all mail is not a solution.

Well, if you want to code it yourself, you can replicate it rather easily by:

- Creating a filter that puts all your mail in a label, skipping the inbox

- Write a cronjob that takes all the mail with that label and labels it back into the inbox

That's probably active procrastination, though. :)

Edit: formatting.

Re: Addicted to Distraction

#45

Post by codemac »

jfim wrote: post #19
thrwy111 wrote: post #11

This isn't a real addiction. And it trivializes what addicts actually go through. This is demonstrated being that it was possible for the author to replace the "higher power" of the 12 steps with someone to unplug the Internet router. If you're actually addicted to something, you feel so trapped and subservient to your addiction that you concoct the idea of a higher power simply because you have no power left within…

> This isn't a real addiction. And it trivializes what addicts actually go through. This is demonstrated being that it was possible for the author to replace the "higher power" of the 12 steps with someone to unplug the Internet router. Just like it is possible to fix alcoholism by having someone remove alcohol from the house and gambling by having someone prevent the gambler from walking into a casino. If using the…

> Just like it is possible to fix alcoholism by having someone remove alcohol from the house

It's different because alcohol withdrawal can kill you. It can give people seizures and hospitalize them for weeks. Telling someone to "remove alcohol from the house" as a cure is so left field for me it feels like you're missing the very real medical struggle long-term alcoholics go through. I'm livid but I know this should be a civil conversation.

I haven't seen someone's facebook+9gag habits tear a community, family, or person apart. Maybe that's my ignorance.

Re: Addicted to Distraction

#46

Post by keithpeter »

keithpeter wrote: post #38
ThomPete wrote: post #6

I haven't really gotten my thoughts clear on this so excuse me for the probably unclear formulation. I recently realized that one of the unfortunate consequences of this is the way many in my generation (I'm 41) brings up our kids. Instead of teaching them one thing in depth we are forcing them through a million different subjects way before they even turn 10. It's not unusual in my circles that kids are both playing…

I teach basic maths to adults mainly but also a couple of classes of teenagers in a further education college in the UK - the US equivalent is called a community college I believe. This year, I won the timetabling lottery and got classes with fine art, graphics, fashion and media students. Usual distractions (phones: Facebook, various instant messaging services &c). I gave each student a simple cardboard document wal…

Solitary downvoter: care to engage with my argument?

Re: Addicted to Distraction

#47

Post by id »

thrwy111 wrote: post #11

This isn't a real addiction. And it trivializes what addicts actually go through. This is demonstrated being that it was possible for the author to replace the "higher power" of the 12 steps with someone to unplug the Internet router. If you're actually addicted to something, you feel so trapped and subservient to your addiction that you concoct the idea of a higher power simply because you have no power left within…

>This is demonstrated being that it was possible for the author to replace the "higher power" of the 12 steps with someone to unplug the Internet router.

And an alcoholic could just stop buying booze. Not so easy, right?

(Of course alcoholism is in a different league, physical dependence and alcohol withdrawal syndrome are no walk in the park.)

Re: Addicted to Distraction

#48

Post by adrianN »

nommm-nommm wrote: post #41
ThomPete wrote: post #6

I haven't really gotten my thoughts clear on this so excuse me for the probably unclear formulation. I recently realized that one of the unfortunate consequences of this is the way many in my generation (I'm 41) brings up our kids. Instead of teaching them one thing in depth we are forcing them through a million different subjects way before they even turn 10. It's not unusual in my circles that kids are both playing…

>It's not unusual in my circles that kids are both playing football, taking piano lessons, learning french on top of their school and homework. We are filling our kid's time with all these structured activities to "enrich" their lives. To give them a leg up in the adult world. To make them smarter and well rounded. We fill our houses with a whole bunch of "enriching" toys. This is extremely misguided. The majority of…

There is no boredom in the modern world. The Internet is an endless cesspool of poor quality entertainment, expertly arranged to give us the impression that we learn something or interact meaningfully with other people.

Believing that a child will improve themselves and realize their potential without guidance and an appropriate amount of forcing is, in my opinion, misguided.

Re: Addicted to Distraction

#49

Post by cobweb »

DougN7 wrote: post #2

This rings true for me too. If I sit down with a minute or two of spare time, out comes my phone so I can check out HN or Reddit. Never any quiet contemplation any more.

Quiet contemplation. That thing you used to do when you got an early night, that may have helped your brain get into order, or possibly aroused the senses, and led to panic.

My partner monopolises the main living space, and always switches the TV on. She's out with the tablet and surfing in seconds. I don't have a mobile internet device at hand. So it can feel lonely and desolate. Once I also pulled out my laptop alongside the telly. So do get it. It does feel rude if one sided. Especially when you are left watching some crap that you wouldn't put on yourself. I could fetch my book, but I find it difficult to read while the telly is on. One day I might challenge her to a conversation.

I enjoy space and silence. In the garden I can just stand and listen for an hour or so at a time. I'm almost completely vacant. It feels good, but I'm not sure if it is good for the brain.

Re: Addicted to Distraction

#50

Post by [deleted] »

kristofferR wrote: post #34
DanBC wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because "you continue to use it, even though you know it's doing you harm" is part of the modern definition of dependence.

> "You continue to use it, even though you know it's doing you harm". Well, sure. I'm wasting time all the time on the internet, even though I know I shouldn't. Sometimes it have real negative effects on my life, it's certainly a real addiction by that definition. I've actually experimented a bit with chemical addiction to caffeine and nicotine (consuming a lot of caffeine/nicotine for a few weeks then stopping compl…

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