"Online compulsive disorder"
Sounds seeping in from the street: distant church bell, birds twittering, children screaming (with delight) at the local school's Sunday party, angry Vespa zipping by, snippet of conversation being exchanged by neighbours meeting on the footpath three floors below?
And while all this is going on "out there", I'm sitting in front of a screen, typing these words. How do you do it? Why do you do it? These questions often contain a hint of anxiety, as if those asking are more worried about something they're missing on rather than my well being? Well, the short answer is that it's the joy of sharing ideas, information, which is something you're either into or you're not. The longer answer involves a personal fascination with a major change that's happening in society. And that would be? Well, it's pretty clear that more and more of us are spending more time occupied with computers, mobile phones and personal digital assistants. That people now seem willing to spend a large part of their lives connected to technology is, I would contend, socially significant. And if you look at the growth of wireless internet and the development of superfast miniature microprocessors, then this is just the beginning. The downsides? They're addressed today in The New York Timesby Matt Richtel in an article titled, "The Lure of Data: Is It Addictive?" He writes:
"The ubiquity of technology in the lives of executives, other businesspeople and consumers has created a subculture of the Always On — and a brewing tension between productivity and freneticism. For all the efficiency gains that it seemingly provides, the constant stream of data can interrupt not just dinner and family time, but also meetings and creative time, and it can prove very tough to turn off."
Are "Always On" and the related "multitasking" responsible for what is now being referred to by some medical specialists as "online compulsive disorder", and by others as "pseudo-attention deficit disorder"? Do bloggers exhibit traits that suggest they're addicted to "to the constant stimulation provided by incoming data"?
I'd say the answer is, yes. But that's the price we pay for incorporating these new, powerful technologies into our lives. The next generation will be better able to deal with the pace of change, and if it turns out that they have developed shorter attention spans, then they'll need to be given the kind of tasks that won't produce the frustration associated with long-term projects. The physical craving for short bursts of info stimulation that's seen as a negative now could well end up being harnessed as a driver of creativity. Those who prove that they can thrive on the stress of managing constant information might well end up in jobs that we can't even conceive of now. How about Epigram Editor, Aphorism Refiner or Instant Opinion Analyst?
