Ryan Gaboury
English 110 C
Professor Emerson
27 October 2017
The Lack of Attention
Technology, in a little over a decade, has evolved into a being, something that we, more specifically the younger generations, have relied on to exist and complete the simplest of tasks. Those who have obtained them at such young ages and younger adults who have access to such devices seem to be unable to function without them. It is always grabbing our attention or an arms length away to wait for the next email or text to be received. Holding a device means you have the world in your hands, knowing any type of information you need to know to proceed in your day. The weather, the local news, a shooting, the score of an NFL game the night prior, research, it becomes endless, truthfully. Life has become the world of machines, trying to catch up and operate at the pace that has never been reached. The acknowledgement of multitasking exists due to people’s abilities to access such a great amount of information. Doing more than expected has become the norm, yet young people especially, overlook the negatives that are brought upon the new era of technology. It is evident that the constant wealth of information due to modern technology has in fact weakened or impacted our minds in a negative manner.
Multitasking, as stated prior, is becoming more and more relevant in the fast and creative world that is dedicated to unlimited knowledge. Though it does seem to generate greater productivity, it has strained our brains to work faster and more efficiently than ever, causing a negative backlash for this needy sequence; Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Richard Restak, a neurologist from Georgetown explained in a chapter from his book The New Brain, “Many personality characteristics we formerly labeled as dysfunctional, such as hyperactivity, impulsiveness, and easy distractibility, are now almost the norm” ( 376-377). People are more commonly having symptoms of those that were generally admitted by doctors and physicians for having ADD/ADHD. This historic amount of knowledge present in the world is forcing the brain to operate at speeds that seems to be detrimental to the health of the brain itself.
Moreover, the effects in not only adults today, but more importantly our children and “20-Somethings” of the world may now have to deal with some type of symptoms due to a diagnosis of ADD/ADHD. It is noticeable that through studies, children are affected by these disorders in a multitude of ways, categorized by affected motor control, impulsivity, and difficulties with organization and focus. With this, technology places our children in danger before they even get a chance to have a voice in the matter of whether they want to integrate with technology or not. In Robin Marantz Henig’s “What is it about 20-Something’s?,” Richard Lerner of Tufts University states, “yYou must develop what you’re supposed to when you’re supposed to develop it or you’ll never adequately develop it” (209). If children are given technology before they can even use any essentials necessary for success, what are the true negatives of their situations? Children need the ability to create imagination and wonder while they still connect through the innocence of childhood. Instead, they are given technology at such young ages that their minds can not handle the constant movement and stress technology places on them. This therefore, could be a direct cause of the “20-Something’s” wandering through the “emerging adulthood” stage searching for opportunities and the reliance of the older generations. Development is key at such young ages, pivotal to almost all life successes. Technology stealing this from them is almost unfair and torturous, given that only parents are capable of preventing developmental issues.
Not only does the wealth of knowledge and mass amount of opportunities to access the internet negatively affect the mind, but also deeply deters our abilities to make real life connections and relationships with those around us. It is clear that even in the simplest of conversations or interactions, people are in the “here and there” realm that dominates the world today. Think, you are sitting in a restaurant with your significant other and having an anniversary dinner. It is a special night, very well-deserved and anticipated after a long work week and minimum hours spent together. As you both are enjoying the time together, your wife’s phone begins ringing. Now, it was clear that we made a rule that technology was to be put away during these moments, given how special they are for the relationship. Even with this, it is my wife’s work in which she is forced to take the phone call. This is where the “here and there” aspect enters the picture. While she is on the phone going over some business decision that they are soon to implement, I am sitting across the table in the same space as her, here. Yet, she is focused on a task that is “there,” her work office even though in the present she is actually in a restaurant atmosphere. Not only does this bother me in a sense that it was a special night for the both of us, but it leaves me in a spot to then reach for my phone and find something to amuse myself while she continues to figure out her business deal. It is clear that young adults who grow up in these environments will lack the ability to thoughtfully and interestingly enough make deep connections with those around them. Restak states, “As a result of technological advances we participate in many different and disparate “realities,” yet as a result of our attention and focus problems, we can’t fully participate in them.” He concludes with, “thanks to our sense of distraction we’re not fully focused on either of them” ( 381). Being unable to focus solely on one relationship or situation causes a lack of care and full commitment to each interaction that occurs. Texting while trying to have a complex conversation and connection with someone else does not allow for you to produce your best possible attention. Technologies distractions force people to choose their interactions carefully and even then, relationships still may never get the full devotion that is needed to receive the same benefits and bonds as those generations before us.
Moreover, the access to technology has depleted our abilities to carry attention through completing the simplest of tasks. For example, one of the most classic issues in the world is the inability for people in the modern age to put their phones away while driving. David Meyer, an expert on multitasking stated that, “The brain processes different kinds of information on a variety of separate “channels” – a language channel, a visual channel, an auditory channel, and so on. If you overburden a channel, the brain becomes inefficient and mistake-prone” (Anderson 4). If one is to text and drive, it is clear that the two tasks being performed will come in conflict with a range of channels: Looking out the windshield and reading a message on a phone screen is visual, while steering and texting both use motor skills in order to complete each task. Driving is already dangerous enough given the speed and responsibility that is upheld by those who intend to drive at high speeds and take risks at the wheel. Placing a phone in someone’s hand while it is already so tempting and desirable creates a situation with endless negative possibilities.
In addition, simple distractions are consuming the younger generations abilities to focus on what is at hand and ultimately causes them to forget the smallest, yet most important moments. Sam Anderson in his “In the Defense of Distraction” explains, “What information consumes is rather obvious: It consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence, a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention, and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume it. As beneficiaries of the greatest information boom in the history of the world, we are suffering, by Simon’s logic, a correspondingly serious poverty of attention.” (2) People are so infatuated with the need to access all information at once. This grabs all attention and forces the mind to focus on it longer than all other moments. At different times, their attention will revert back to those times and cause them to be ill focused on what they are doing in that moment. The ability to be distracted so easily during the simplest of tasks prevents individuals from completely achieving a cognitive ability to be present within the moment. Controlling your own dopamine from simple notifications or distractions around you can beneficially help to avoid becoming so distracted. Individuals who are prone to their minds being easily divided will have to overcome many obstacles when it comes to retaining concentration. All moments in life are important. Allowing the wealth of information to consume you at the wrong time can create situations that could have been easily prevented and to miss out on what is truly important to you individually.
Lastly, the innocent are set to be affected greatly by technology, yet we should also look at ourselves (Teens, emerging adults) who have the ability to change the tide before it gravely affects us in even bigger magnitudes. Protecting the brain from ADD/ADHD should be more important than liking a friend’s picture on instagram. Technology is already negatively hurting the brain through more common symptoms of ADD/ADHD and with this, comes the responsibility of helping to prevent these occurrences. Don’t place yourself in the situation where change only comes due to the created symptoms of ADD/ADHD. Preventing young children or the younger generations from accessing technology can help to protect their already innocent minds. Thomas King, an entrepreneur who advocates for the societal change in “20-Something’s” stated in his TEDx presentation “Adults, We Need to Have The Talk,” “Having access to an abundance of knowledge is exciting, but also exposes the shadows in our society… a population who, let’s be honest, are mostly in debt, dispassionate about their work and in a state of physical and mental dis-ease” (3). Change that memo or mindset of settling for less, yet doing more. We, as emerging adults, have the ability to prevent not only ourselves but future generations from feeling so disinterested in life. Placing future generations back into finding a solid context and purpose within their lives can be the least that our generation as young adults can do to help to progress the evolving world through its grand wealth of information.
The world of technology has negatively depleted younger people’s abilities to focus on tasks at hand. It is noticed that the younger generations lack the ability to maintain concentration as individuals are lacking in creative and imaginative aspects and ideas in their lives. Sam Anderson goes on to say, “Google is making us stupid, multitasking is draining our souls, and the “dumbest generation” is leading us into a “dark age” of bookless “power browsing” ( 2). This is truthfully the overall message that is created by the formation of technology. Even with the all the benefits it creates, technology is destroying the world as we first knew it. Multitasking, ADD/ADHD, and the lack of true connections are just the beginning of the negatives to consistently using technology as we know it. There is something to be done, but that is if “20-Something’s” take charge in their own lives to influence others.
Work Cited
Henig, Robin Henig. “What Is It about 20-Somethings?” Emerging: Contemporary Readings for Writers, edited by Barclay Barrios. 3rd ed., Bedford/St. Martin, 2016, pp 198-213.
King, Thomas. “Adults, we need to have a talk.” Youtube. TEDx Melbourne, Nov 2015. Web. September 2017.
Anderson, Sam. “In Defense of Distraction” New York News & Politics, edited by New York Media. May 17, 2009, pp 1-13.
Restak, Richard. “Attention Deficit: The Brain Syndrome of Our Era” Emerging: Contemporary Reading for Writers, edited by Barclay Barrios. 3rd ed., Bedford/St. Martin, 2016, pp 372-385.
