Is the Internet making us ADD?

[Wilt Dasney]

It's not a new idea, but it's one I've been thinking about today.

Earlier, I read a lengthy Atlantic piece called "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" The guy talks about how he just can't read the way he used to: sitting down with a book for hours, and flipping page after page. His attention wanders, and he thinks it has to do with how we absorb information online — quickly, by browsing over long bits of text to get what we need ASAP. The full piece is here, for those interested. (Ironically, I had to stop in the middle a few times to check in on these boards and putz around the Net a little.)

And that's what I'm talking about here. I find I have trouble settling down to a long project of any kind. Whether it's reading a book, watching a video on Youtube, even working...even if I'm enjoying something, I'm rarely engrossed fully, to the point where time just slips by. I'm usually wondering how much longer is left until I can take a break to check my e-mail, see if there are any new replies to a discussion I've posted in, look at news headlines or blog updates.

And it's not just online. I hardly ever watch TV without my laptop at my fingertips anymore. One source of stimulation isn't enough. And if I do put down the computer to really focus on a show, I start wondering how much longer is left until a commercial so I can go online for a minute. It's like I always need to change the channel...even if I like the channel I'm on!

I don't remember always being like this...and I can break away from it if I try. (I put together a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle last weekend, and I've listened to a couple of hour long lectures on Youtube this week.) But mostly, concentration seems to come in short chunks these days.

Anyone else able to relate? And if so, do you think the Internet is to blame, even partially?

 

[Master Yoda]

I started to read your post but it was way too...oh something shiny!

 

[Wilt Dasney]

I started to read your post but it was way too...oh something shiny!

Heh....I thought about making that joke. But the post was already too long!

 

[Victoria]

I can relate to pretty much everything you just mentioned. I don't remember the last time I watched TV without my laptop in front of me at the same time. I have a very hard time concentrating when I am working on school stuff too. I will be using Word to write an assignment but I can't go more than about 20 minutes before I end back up on the internet. I have to check to see if anyone has replied to a thread here, check my email, see if anything interesting has popped up on FB or Twitter, or check my eBay to see if anyone has bid on my stuff. Also, if I am home and awake, my computer is on and it stays on until I go to bed. I don't know how I got like this. :shrug:

 

[maggiegrace1]

I was like that for a while..until I realized that during shows I had on DVR that I would let the commercials run so that I could get online for a bit..and realized it was a tad much...:lol:

I now make sure I do not do that..granted I am online a good part of the day but I do a lot of things before I even turn the computer on in the morning..wash, feed Maggie, clean house, play games and stuff..and when she is bored with me I will get on and whatever.

I also do not use the laptop while watching my shows anymore..I DVR almost everything because I have tons of shows..(that is another issue):lookaroun and I will sit down and watch a good chunk of them and FF through the commercials and finish the shows.

I also make sure that I go outside with maggie, read with her, watch TV..and when Drew gets home I do not get online unless he is watching something I am not interested in or he is doing something else also..that way I am not taking away us time while sitting online.

I do have a stack of books that I usually would have had read already but when I have down time I am online and neglect them..so I plan on reading some of them soon especially since the weather is getting nice and I can sit outside while Maggie plays.

I do not FB or anything from my phone..I also do not have updates sent to my phone regarding emails or fb as I did a long time ago and it would really interfere with everyday life..I was always looking at the phone.



So..the answer is..I think so..:lookaroun

 

[Uponastar]

It's not a new idea, but it's one I've been thinking about today.

Earlier, I read a lengthy Atlantic piece called "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" The guy talks about how he just can't read the way he used to: sitting down with a book for hours, and flipping page after page. His attention wanders, and he thinks it has to do with how we absorb information online — quickly, by browsing over long bits of text to get what we need ASAP. The full piece is here, for those interested. (Ironically, I had to stop in the middle a few times to check in on these boards and putz around the Net a little.)

And that's what I'm talking about here. I find I have trouble settling down to a long project of any kind. Whether it's reading a book, watching a video on Youtube, even working...even if I'm enjoying something, I'm rarely engrossed fully, to the point where time just slips by. I'm usually wondering how much longer is left until I can take a break to check my e-mail, see if there are any new replies to a discussion I've posted in, look at news headlines or blog updates.

And it's not just online. I hardly ever watch TV without my laptop at my fingertips anymore. One source of stimulation isn't enough. And if I do put down the computer to really focus on a show, I start wondering how much longer is left until a commercial so I can go online for a minute. It's like I always need to change the channel...even if I like the channel I'm on!

I don't remember always being like this...and I can break away from it if I try. (I put together a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle last weekend, and I've listened to a couple of hour long lectures on Youtube this week.) But mostly, concentration seems to come in short chunks these days.

Anyone else able to relate? And if so, do you think the Internet is to blame, even partially?

I could have written this. And to answer your question, I think the internet is totally to blame. So many things that used to take thought and time (and, in many instances, actually leaving the house,)...planning a trip, sending a letter, locating an old friend, remembering someone's bday or other special occasion, looking for information, shopping for just about anything...all of these can now be done on our computers. And quickly. Maybe too quickly. We can jump from one thing to the next and back again with startling speed. But then that speed doesn't transfer over to the non-computer world. That's a good thing, but one that a lot of us are having a hard time adjusting to.
I didn't even notice at first that the way I relaxed with a book or a favorite TV show had changed. But then I began to see that very often I wasn't really relaxing at all. My laptop was too much a part of everything I did. So I had to make a conscious effort to slow down my computer time to better fit in with my non-computer life, instead of vice-versa. It is still a work in progress, but it's coming along and I'm glad.
Communicating on the net is a vital part of my life and I don't intend to ever give it up. It has been life-changing and liberating for me. But I'm learning to balance my time better. It's necessary...and also liberating in its own way.

 

[Laura]

Interesting thread. I also have to use a lot of willpower to focus on a single task. I eat breakfast and lunch in front of the computer and rush through dinner because just sitting there chewing is so boring. Anytime I find myself with "down time" i get this panicky feeling like if I don't find something to do to fill that time immediately I'm going to self destruct! I notice this when I hit a stop light. I always keep hard candies in the car because eating them provides me with some entertainment while I'm sitting at the light. I'm also guilty of checking my email on the iPhone while sitting at stoplights because just sitting there drives me crazy!

I am still able to get lost in a movie, a tv show, or a book. (Admittedly, I only read books on my iPhone now.) But as soon as there is a commercial break I start freaking out and feel ANGRY at the TV for stopping my entertainment for 3 minutes. That 3 minutes seems like an eternity! Earlier today I sat down and watched old episodes of "Lost" for 3 1/2 straight hours. The very instant it ended I started scanning the room for my laptop. I noticed my husband was using the laptop and I actually started yelling at him for having the computer when I "needed" it (even though I didn't even know WHY I needed it) and I went on this rant about how since he had the computer I had NOTHING TO DO! NOTHING!!! :lookaroun

And no, I definitely was not like this before I had the internet. Back then I spent all my time riding my bike, talking on the phone with my friends, drawing, writing, reading, watching movies....being a normal human being. :lol:

 

[EPCOTPluto]

................

 

[Laura]

And I realized that whenever I have to send the PC back for repair, there's almost an immoral feeling of despair, like I lost a best friend.

:lol: Yep. I have a back-up computer, but I feel like I'm cheating on my main one.

 

[EPCOTPluto]

...................

 

[GenerationX]

I've always consumed information in much the same way as it is presented by the internet. I like newspapers. I started reading them daily when I was a kid and continue to this day, even with the internet. Newspapers have separate sections, detailed indexes, headlines, and brief articles - most written in the inverted pyramid style. Easy to skim, easy to get wanted details.

Because of my reading style, I have always been irritated by books (or other forms of written communication) that are longer than they need to be. Thanks to the internet, other people are adopting a similar style. The net effects of this trend are to make people more efficient information consumers and to force writers to be more concise. Both positive moves.

I'd make a few more points, but this post already has two+ paragraphs.

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

I agree in full. I'm multitasking constantly, and honestly, I think it works for me. I get more things done quicker, and honestly with the same quality...grades haven't suffered.


I am able to immerse myself into a single activity or chore, if I need my full concentration or I just want to enjoy it.


So...I do think that we do multitask, and it is caused by the internet, and by all the media in our lives, but I think it can be used to our advantage. I'm fine with it. Maybe it's just part of our socie......Ooooh, new email.:lookaroun




Cool thread, BJ.

 

[EpcotServo]

Nah, I consume my distractions one at a time. I sit down to watch Movies/TV, and sit down to just do internet checkin'. Aside from checkin' the emails and twitters every few minutes on my iPod Touch.

However, my life is pretty much devoted to these distractions, so I have to pay careful attention too all of them, like most people have to with work.
:lol:

 

[Wilt Dasney]

Nah, I consume my distractions one at a time. I sit down to watch Movies/TV, and sit down to just do internet checkin'. Aside from checkin' the emails and twitters every few minutes on my iPod Touch.

:lookaroun

I'm going to follow your example of restraint...and limit my internet activity to days ending in "y."

However, my life is pretty much devoted to these distractions, so I have to pay careful attention too all of them, like most people have to with work.

I really like this one. I think I might start using it myself.

I don't spend too much time on the internet; it's just that my entire life is devoted to it.



(Teasing..a little.) :lol:

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

:lookaroun

I'm going to follow your example of restraint...and limit my internet activity to days ending in "y."



I really like this one. I think I might start using it myself.

I don't spend too much time on the internet; it's just that my entire life is devoted to it.



(Teasing..a little.) :lol:

What about if your life is on the internet?:lookaroun:lol: Seriously, though, I do just about everything on here. I haven't made the the jump to internet based classes (Nothing can beat a Professor in a classroom) but all my homework, about 75% of my research (Still prefer a book and a library for sources in my papers), and preparation for class is ALL on the internet. Add in social media like Facebook, Twitter, and this site for Disney interest, and, most of my life is on the "internet". :lol:

I don't think that that's a bad thing, by any means, it's not like I'm holed up in my house constantly on here, (Well...If I didn't have Homework..:lol there's always the real world to interact and partake in. That's, like I said, REAL, and far more important. Sorry, but y'all are all a little less important. The trick is finding balance.

And again...I don't think any of this is a bad thing, IF NOT ABUSED. If it is, it can be bad thing, but honestly, I think this is where communication technology has taken this. On this, our Spaceship Earth.

 

[DiPSU224]

I was like that for a while..until I realized that during shows I had on DVR that I would let the commercials run so that I could get online for a bit..and realized it was a tad much...:lol:

I am sooo guilty of this.

I relate to every post here. I have thought to myself on several occasions that I can not concentrate on anything anymore. My attention span is ZERO.

I also DVR most of my shows and when I actually do watch something live on TV, I immediately reach for the remote and instinctively try to FF through the commercials or I reach for my iPhone and play a quick game of Bejewled Blitz. It's sick.

My laptop is perched on my lap whenever I am sitting. I check FB, email, wdwmagic hourly. My iPhone is never further than an arm's reach, most nights falling asleep with it in my hands. Like Laura said, when my husband wants to use my computer, I freak out, like a form of seperation anxiety and stare at him until he's done using it.

I actually just caught myself checking my facebook while I was typing out this post...:lol:

 

[Number_6]

I agree with this since I've had a similar thought regarding cell phones. I have a hard time memorizing people's phone numbers now, because I'm just saving it to my cell and then using auto-dial features. I used to memorize a person's phone number in a day, but now I can't remember my grandmother's "new" phone number that she's had for two or three years now and have to look it up every time. To a greater extent I had just been talking to a customer the other day and told them to go to our website using a traditional PC or laptop and she didn't know how to use a web browser because it didn't look like the one for her phone, which was the only way she used the internet previously. And it wasn't like she a grandmother that isn't really sure how to use a computer, let alone the internet. This was someone around my age(early 30s) who would have grown up with computers.

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

I was like that for a while..until I realized that during shows I had on DVR that I would let the commercials run so that I could get online for a bit..and realized it was a tad much...:lol:

I now make sure I do not do that..granted I am online a good part of the day but I do a lot of things before I even turn the computer on in the morning..wash, feed Maggie, clean house, play games and stuff..and when she is bored with me I will get on and whatever.

I also do not use the laptop while watching my shows anymore..I DVR almost everything because I have tons of shows..(that is another issue):lookaroun and I will sit down and watch a good chunk of them and FF through the commercials and finish the shows.

I also make sure that I go outside with maggie, read with her, watch TV..and when Drew gets home I do not get online unless he is watching something I am not interested in or he is doing something else also..that way I am not taking away us time while sitting online.

I do have a stack of books that I usually would have had read already but when I have down time I am online and neglect them..so I plan on reading some of them soon especially since the weather is getting nice and I can sit outside while Maggie plays.

I do not FB or anything from my phone..I also do not have updates sent to my phone regarding emails or fb as I did a long time ago and it would really interfere with everyday life..I was always looking at the phone.



So..the answer is..I think so..:lookaroun

Oh! You just reminded me of something...READING. :brick: See, THAT is something EVERYTHING goes off for. TV, internet, phone, music, everything. I love my books, I love getting immersed in one. That's something I'm not giving up for a screen, ever. (I say that now...and next month I'm getting an iPhone....and I have the Kindle App downloaded. :lookaroun) Nothing beats my books.


...That said...I wish I had more time for it. During school? I barely get through a book every few weeks, unless it's one of the ones I need to read for class. Over the summer, though, books can be done in a day.

 

[WDW Vacationer]

Oh! You just reminded me of something...READING. :brick: See, THAT is something EVERYTHING goes off for. TV, internet, phone, music, everything. I love my books, I love getting immersed in one. That's something I'm not giving up for a screen, ever. (I say that now...and next month I'm getting an iPhone....and I have the Kindle App downloaded. :lookaroun) Nothing beats my books.


...That said...I wish I had more time for it. During school? I barely get through a book every few weeks, unless it's one of the ones I need to read for class. Over the summer, though, books can be done in a day.

Nothing like sitting in the back yard on a warm day with a good book.....

The screen has become a major part of my life. Especially since i got my iPod Touch. Internet,games,e-mail,even texting can all be done on that. I still make time for excercise,reading and other events.

 

[Nemo14]

I plead guilty on all counts. Especially during our dismal winters around here, it's sooooo much easier to just sit in front of my computer to shop, read, or communicate with my friends. Once the sun returns though, I wean myself away from all this and try get back to my pre-internet life. There's a lot to be said for fresh air (and Rita's!)