Confessions of Plugged-In Person

Since acquiring my BlackBerry last year (in addition to my iPhone) I now check email before I sleep, once I wake up, and if I happen to wake up in the middle of the night. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. I’ve only written two sentences of this blog and already I have taken a quick 10 second break… to check my CrackBerry. Where has my focus gone? Until reading the NYTimes article ‘Hooked on Gadgets, and Paying a Mental Price’ I thought I was doing great as a multi-tasker. Now, I’m beginning to wonder if being plugged in is degrading my quality of life.

 
The article profiles a family that struggles to spend engaged time together – meaning no gadgets. Family vacations are spent hiding out playing video games or sneaking emails and Internet time; morning breakfasts revolve around eating by a shared monitor in the kitchen. And while this is not the quintessential family portrait, I can’t help feel as if I’m taking a glimpse into the future. Although I do get irritated when I dine with people who frequently check their phones, update their Twitter, and text – I myself make excuses when I feel the urge to break eye contact or conversation during a meal for a “quick peek”. The availability and portability of technology and gadgets has created a new bedtime routine for my husband and I. We sit in bed, watching Hulu or Netflix – separately, on two different laptops. We both relish in how we can watch exactly what we want without worrying the other is bored, but how is this a shared experience?
 
Two paragraphs are now completed. The red light is flashing on my BlackBerry. My Gchat is chirping. And just how the NYTimes article describes it, I feel like I can’t ignore the urge to check it. I don’t.
 
Alright, I get the picture – and I’m sure I’m not alone. Nowadays, we are inundated with a higher magnitude of interruptions and distractions than ever before; a majority of these are coming from our mobile devices to online applications such as email and Twitter. Yes, Twitter. That’s like the king of all short attention span ADD. According to the NYTimes, some benefits from all this new technology include the discovery that our neural networks in our brains can adapt and develop past childhood. Score, right? All this over stimulation has to have some type of positive affect. But among counter benefits stands one that I’d like to address: what is this doing to our offline relationships? Thomas Campbell, a subject in the NYTimes articles says it best:
 

“It’s a mixed blessing,” he said. “If you’re not careful, your marriage can fall apart or your kids can be ready to play and you’ll get distracted.”

 
There is no doubt in my mind that there is a plethora of wonderful and awesome effects of technology, gadgets, and applications. Some of those red flashing lights have connected me with family members who I haven’t seen in ages and brought me text messages that have absolutely made my day. But I think an evaluation is in order. Soon. I’m looking to make a few changes here and there before I feel like my quality of life and relationship is degraded instead of upgraded by technology. We are after all, social human beings – technology shouldn’t dictate our lives or relationships, it should enhance them.