Lots of data flying around lately about smartphone usage (an obsession), texting (3,000 a month for teenagers!), increasing desire for mobility.
All of which points to our collective obsession to do more, and more of it, while simultaneously doing more of more.
Admit it, you’re in that boat too, with me and pretty everyone you know.
Many years ago, my wife laughed at me for watching TV on mute while listening to music. She thought it was silly to do both at once, dividing my attention. I caught her the other day watching TV while using her laptop to check email and Facebook at the same time.
Smartphones have accelerated this trend horribly, and I’m embarrassed to catch myself talking to people while poking my phone. I know, how rude, but also, how frequently does this happen nowadays?
People are so absorbed with their smartphones that they endanger themselves and others, walking around without looking where they’re going. This problem even has an AR app solution, Type n Walk, as demonstrated in the above video.
Think back five and ten years ago, and assuming you were doing a roughly similar job, how many hours a week did you work? Did you segment work and free time? Did you keep a work and a personal computer, never the twain shall meet? Did you own a laptop of your own? How about a web-capable phone, or a cell phone at all? Did you use it for anything other than calls?
I just performed a similar inventory, and not surprisingly, I’m appreciably more distracted and more connected than even five years ago. Ten years ago, I carried a brick for phone calls and rarely used it.
Overall, my work and personal lives have bled into each other significantly. The question is why.
In part, I think it’s expected that we do more, more often, as technology affords us that ability. Definitely a weird concept, but remember that Seinfeld episode (The Caddy) when George’s boss with the Yankees thought he was first into the office and last to leave because his car was parked for days in the parking lot?
Appearances matter when it comes to work.
Productivity and its evil twin, busy-ness, are hallmarks of success in America corporate culture, e.g. people who complain about too much email are really bragging about how busy they are.
Aside from expectations, it’s simply too easy to work (and generally, do) more. Technology has tied us to working online all the time, and we willingly submit, which leads to obsession and withdrawal when we’re disconnected.
The follow up question is does it really matter? I’m inclined to say no, but then again, it will be difficult to measure the net of good and harm in a useful way. Science will continue to debate the effects on the hyper-connected Millenial generation and its successors, members of the as-yet unnamed next generation.
As a soon-to-be parent of a child in that generation, I’m nervous to see how all this connectivity affects my child.
Thoughts? Seek and find the comments.
Twitter Comment
Are We Obsessed with Doing More? [link to post]
– Posted using Chat Catcher
I think it’s not good – for society or concentration spans!
How much of the “doing” that makes up “doing more” is really that useful anyway? It’s so easy to get sucked into a Youtube Loop or Wiki Coma, you come out of them hours later, thinking about all of the more productive things you could have done instead.
I have an ancient mobile which I use a few times a year when needing to contact someone when out and about, but it’s just a phone. The smartphone thing leaves me cold, mainly because it’s another facet of feeling like people +expect+ others to be available 24/7, or maybe not 24/7, but you know what I mean.
It also feels like a relentless commercial juggernaut, a bit like PCs, but more so, in terms of as soon as you have the latest model, there is a new one, driving dissatisfaction, because people like to have the latest gadgets etc. The marketing people have got it sewn up really, as phones feel like a fashion accessory nowadays.
Plus it’s insane how glued people are to them, in my opinion. Going about, seeing people using them all the time, walking around, at bus stops, train stations, on busses, on trains, planes too, except I don’t know as I haven’t been on one for 20 years, even at work. We have contractors who are being paid lots per hour, who often sit there tapping away on their smart phones. It’s such a distraction.
Plus apparently the amount of hearing damage being done is huge, my wife was talking to someone the other day who said a health professional said how much more common significant hearing loss is in relatively younger people. Even at work, the bloke next to me has his MP3 player on a lot of the time, meaning he is tuned out of the office, you can’t talk to him, or you can, once you interrupt him, and the volume is so loud I can hear it from about 6 feet away.
Plus there’s the fact that apparently even in their own manuals phone companies advise not to use mobile devices right next to your ear, so if they’re not convinced of their safety, should we be? I guess they’re just playing it safe from a potential future-litigation angle (“We warned you”).
Gaaaah. It worries me.
I’m probably the wrong audience for this blog, it having a lot of new technology content on it, but I do like the AppsLab, just not mobile phones 😉
All good points.
The shift away from contemplative thought and quiet time to always on connectivity will definitely be an interesting one to study. I’m not entirely pessimistic, yet. After all, the people doing the research are of the old school and certainly biased in that direction. The Boomers spent a lot of time glued to TVs vs. their parents, so each generation has its own technology-inspired attention suck.
The health risks are a bigger concern. The hearing loss problem is rather common, thanks to Apple, whose design conscious iPod headphones play directly into the ear. Also the effects of radiation emitted by wireless devices will begin to trickle into the public eye over the next decade.
So, while I love new technology, there are obviously negative effects. The problem is that innovation forges ahead, leaving science to clean up its mess, years later.
Great thoughtful post Jake, thank you.
If an important part of life is developing meaningful relationships, then I think there’s a lot of evidence around us that we’re moving away from this, and we’re becoming a society afflicted by ADHD instead.
This morning I had a 5 a.m. taxi ride to the airport. The driver used the term “health is wealth” and it stayed with me the entire day.
If we’d only use a third of the time we spend on FB, Twitter, etc. developing our health, where would that take us?
I’ve reached the point that I actually think the path we’re on isn’t particularly wholesome.
I’m not a technology pessimist – quite the contrary: i love the positive, transformative power of technology – but many seem to have lost control, quite literally.
Agreed. I wonder if the next decade or so will signal a shift back to thoughtful, quiet time and personal relationships, as the Millenials age and have children, and the rest of us react to too much time spent doing more.
I think a swing back is inevitable. Hope it comes soon.