Rampant caffeine consumption in high levels is not helping our focus either.
The growing body of evidence that digital distraction is damaging our minds
401–410 of 478 posts
Re: The growing body of evidence that digital distraction is damaging our minds
#402I am terrified about giving smartphones to my kids. France's new rule (no smartphones in schools - no exceptions) is genius, and I applaud them for that. What is a supercomputer in your pocket, with access to a significant portion of the sum total of human knowledge, good for, for most people? Playing fucking candy crush. We wish that we, humans, were better, but we are not. So what can we do about it? I have no idea…
One of the best things you can do is teach your kids how to read and write at an early age. Then give the kids gaming consoles (wii, 3ds, switch), an ipad for watching youtube, and a laptop or desktop for minecraft or steam. Prepare to be blown away at how quickly they can learn something from watching a video once. If a game isn't interesting enough that there are not multiple youtube channels dedicated to that game then it is likely not a sufficiently engaging activity. Educators are completely failing the current generation and are stressed out about 'digital distractions' because they know they can't compete. People can absorb information much faster now and will lose interest if you can't match the pace. Shorter attention is not the problem, poor communication is the problem. By way of analogy, if I produce a car that accelerates to 60 mph in 2 seconds instead of the usual 8 seconds, does my car have an acceleration deficit disorder?
Re: The growing body of evidence that digital distraction is damaging our minds
#403I am terrified about giving smartphones to my kids. France's new rule (no smartphones in schools - no exceptions) is genius, and I applaud them for that. What is a supercomputer in your pocket, with access to a significant portion of the sum total of human knowledge, good for, for most people? Playing fucking candy crush. We wish that we, humans, were better, but we are not. So what can we do about it? I have no idea…
One of the best things you can do is teach your kids how to read and write at an early age. Then give the kids gaming consoles (wii, 3ds, switch), an ipad for watching youtube, and a laptop or desktop for minecraft or steam. Prepare to be blown away at how quickly they can learn something from watching a video once. If a game isn't interesting enough that there are not multiple youtube channels dedicated to that game…
>Educators are completely failing the current generation and are stressed out about 'digital distractions' because they know they can't compete.
This is practically a conspiracy theory. There are definitely old teachers that frown on the value of technology, but this is because they're old, not because they're teachers and somehow have a financial incentive to believe otherwise.
Re: The growing body of evidence that digital distraction is damaging our minds
#404Two Major Apple Shareholders Push for Study of iPhone Addiction in Children:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-08/jana-calp...
Re: The growing body of evidence that digital distraction is damaging our minds
#405Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Pretty much every time her phone is placed out of sight, she turns into a fun, engaging person. But when it's in sight, she needs to have it, to mindlessly scroll, double tap in instagram, or whatever the latest app fad is. Are you absolutely sure they're "mindlessly scrolling", and not just being fun and engaging to their friends on the other end of the social network? I hate this assumption - one sees a person gl…
> Are you absolutely sure they're "mindlessly scrolling", and not just being fun and engaging to their friends on the other end of the social network? Hasn't there been a drastic rise in teenage depression linked to smartphone and social network use?
Has it?
Re: The growing body of evidence that digital distraction is damaging our minds
#406An article about a "growing body of evidence" that fails to link to a single study. Great. "Smartphone use takes about the same cognitive toll as losing a full night's sleep" Would love to see this study, since it sounds completely implausible (but really important if true). Without looking at the research, the only reasonable course of action is to assume it's false.
It means that if you are using your phone while driving, you are at just as much increased risk of incurring an accident as if you had not slept the previous night. Right, folks?
Re: The growing body of evidence that digital distraction is damaging our minds
#407Earlier quoted context omitted.
I mean, the massive progress in science, medical, renewable energy, etc. are pretty good problems to be solving. The silly games and facebooks are only a problem for those who choose to participate in them.
I understood the point of the article to be that it's addictive -- and intentionally so. "...smartphones hook people using the same neural pathways as gambling and drugs." We have laws regulating the others. Or in some countries, treatment programs. But either way, we don't just say "Cocaine is only a problem for those who choose to use it".
Making cocaine illegal hasn’t been too successful either though :(
We would be better of learning from the war on drugs that “Wars” don’t solve any problem...but sitting down, listening and providing help to addicts does!
Re: The growing body of evidence that digital distraction is damaging our minds
#408Earlier quoted context omitted.
But before phones, did those folks read books and do nothing? Or is it more likely that they watched football and soap operas on TV?
Football and Soap Operas are simply not comparable to the kind of addiction the smartphone people are able to build into their products. Facebook has an army of phds whose only goal is to make sure Facebook’s users spend another few percent of their time on Facebook. And Facebook with its social interaction, and in depth knowledge of each user, can actively drive its users to spend more time on it in ways no other me…
You say that as if it were a fact. Can you please provide sources for this!
Re: The growing body of evidence that digital distraction is damaging our minds
#409Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Pretty much every time her phone is placed out of sight, she turns into a fun, engaging person. But when it's in sight, she needs to have it, to mindlessly scroll, double tap in instagram, or whatever the latest app fad is. Are you absolutely sure they're "mindlessly scrolling", and not just being fun and engaging to their friends on the other end of the social network? I hate this assumption - one sees a person gl…
That is a very generous view. Many people are just scrolling aimlessly through a feed and not engaging at all. The addictive nature of the feed keeps them scrolling even when they can realistically gain nothing of value by continuing. That is the core of the issue. I know what a rich and enjoyable online experience is like as for the better part of my life I spent most of it online. Facebook and instagram and other f…
Yeah, this view I presented is a tad optimistic, but I see people in this (and similar) thread getting applauded for doing what's essentially a "proof from fundamental attribution error" - "people in front of a smartphone are zombies, therefore smartphone bad (but when I can be seen stuck in front of the screen, it is something important)" - and I'm trying to make a counterpoint.
That, and people forgetting how boring and irrelevant forced social ocassions can be, now that they can choose not to participate.
Re: The growing body of evidence that digital distraction is damaging our minds
#410I am terrified about giving smartphones to my kids. France's new rule (no smartphones in schools - no exceptions) is genius, and I applaud them for that. What is a supercomputer in your pocket, with access to a significant portion of the sum total of human knowledge, good for, for most people? Playing fucking candy crush. We wish that we, humans, were better, but we are not. So what can we do about it? I have no idea…
I think this question is quite complicated, much more than it appears. Many questions come to mind.
Is trivial entertainment completely unjustified? What exactly entails trivial entertainment? What makes acquiring a mechanical skill in a game more or less trivial than reading a novel?
And what exactly does self-improvement constitute? Is it about knowing more facts? Having more skills than our predecessors? Having more developed particular skills? What about ethics and morality, are they amenable for self-improvement or mostly a product of one's experiences? How should ethics and morals be weighted against other areas of self-improvement?
What is the ultimate goal of self-improvement, or is it a goal in itself? If living a long happy life is a goal, should we give into some simple pleasures that make us happy?
Obs: I don't mean to imply that Candy Crush is the pinnacle of human condition, I've never even played it myself to judge. More to emphasize the hazards in analyzing this sort of question.