Ryan Gaboury
English 110 C
Professor Emerson
13 October 2017
The Lack of Attention
Technology in a little over a decade has evolved into a being, something that we, as people, have relied on to exist and complete the simplest of tasks. Those who are fortunate enough to have access to such devices seem to be unable to function without them. It is always grabbing their 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. Multitasking and doing more than expected has become the norm, yet people overlook the negatives that is brought upon the 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 we are now adapting to. 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 exclaimed 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. Technology is forcing the brain to operate at speeds that seems to be detrimental to the health of the brain itself.
The effects in not only adults today, but more importantly our up-and-coming children 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.
The innocent are set to be affected greatly, 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.
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” (Restak 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 notifications or
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.” (Anderson 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. Individuals who are prone to their minds being easily divided will have to overcome many obstacles when it comes to retaining concentration.
Lastly, electronic devices and the internet as a whole has created a bubble of unintelligent, mindless individuals that carry no imaginations. This relates to the inability to maintain concentration as individuals are lacking in their ability to create imaginative situations on their own, rather than just relying on the internet to provide one for them to fuel their own entertainment. 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.” (Anderson 2)
