The Blessings and Curses of Connectivity
In The New York Times’ Sunday Opinion (August 16, 2009), Thomas L. Friedman writes about what I’ve been thinking, writing, and giving speeches about for some time. The recent technologies that allow us to be constantly connected can be a great thing. He cites the wonderful example of the Grameen Foundation’s project that provides cell phones to remote areas of Africa. These phones are enabling small farmers to find the best prices for their crops and to learn about remedies for the pests that attack their harvests. They are also providing sexual health information to teenagers. On the other hand, Friedman talks about the joys of being “dis-connected,” of being an eco-tourist in a remote wildlife preserve where the unavailability of wireless connectivity is a selling point. He says:
“It is amazing how well you can hear when you don’t have an iPod in your ears or how far you can see when you’re not squinting at a computer screen. In the wild, the difference between hearing and seeing with acuity is the difference between survival and extinction for the animals and the difference between a rewarding experience and a missed opportunity for photographers and guides.”
One of the points this illustrates is that our gadgets, although providing great benefits, often take over our lives to such an extent that they drown out other important, rewarding natural experiences. The trick to combating CyberOverload is to find balance — to find ways to resist the addictive temptations of our technologies and benefit from what they have to offer without frittering (twittering?) away our serenity or our ability to be creative and productive.
Tags: cell phone, cell phone addiction, connectivity, cyberoverload, internet, internet addiction, media addiction, quality of life