TAKEAWAY: The power to disconnect continues to be a hot topic, and more so now that a Pennsylvania hospital becomes the first in the US to open an in patient treatment program for Internet addiction. When do such addictions begin?
Our levels of connection are probably running higher than ever.
We seem to like the ability to walk away from the instant satisfaction that is provided by Google searches, or by the constant flows of emails, or by our chatting across the fence via Facebook or Twitter.
For many, it is an addiction. Some of us don’t even wish to ask ourselves if WE are at the addiction level yet.
So why am I not surprised that a Pennsylvania hospital is the first to open an in-patient treatment program for Internet addition. The voluntary, 10-day program, set to open Sept. 9 at the Behavioral Health Services at Bradford Regional Medical Center,was organized by experts in the field and cognitive specialists with backgrounds in treating more familiar addictions like drug and alcohol abuse. It is designed for those whose lives are “spiraling out of control because of their obsession with the Internet.”
Wonder if the first step for this program will be a “cold turkey” withdrawal from all things involving digital connections.
How will this program wean those addicted individuals from their multi daily interactions with their screens and keyboards?
Will be interesting to see the results once the first group of “patients” goes through the program.
For the record: Each patient in the Pennsylvania program will have to pay $14,000 out-of-pocket because insurance does not cover the expense for ‘digital detox.’
Meanwhile, and perhaps as a way of preventing addiction, a new book titled The Big Disconnect, by Catherine Stiner-Adair, reveals what those of us with kids and grandkids already know too well: kids of all ages are just too attached to all things digital, and this is not good for their development.
With 11 grandchildren, ranging in ages from 3 to 14, I know too well what it means to “pacify” a child by giving him/her a smartphone, or, better yet, an iPad. Instantly, the child enters the fantasy land of connectivity.
Ms. Steiner-Adair has it right when she writes that “some 4-year-olds figure out how to download apps before they learn how to put on their own shoes.”
She also mentions 2-year-olds who are already well versed in the handling of smartphones.
My own 3-year-old grandson, Daniel, whose vocabulary is rather limited, has no trouble whatsoever facing the menu screen of a phone or iPad, tapping into whatever apps he knows he likes, and proceeding to color, to click into images and to enjoy himself thoroughly. He talks the language of these devices well, and reacts accordingly, but it is a solitary engagement, requiring no interaction with others.
Ms. Steiner-Adair believes that those who once visited libraries or waited days by the kitchen phone for a girl to call developed resilience, and their young brains were afforded gentle hours of creative meandering. As adults, their tolerance of boredom—an absence of hyper stimulation and instant satisfaction—-contributed to happiness and productivity.
I am sure that the Pennsylvania hospital pioneering in the cure of Internet addiction will set the example for others to follow. Perhaps part of our job in the media should be to encourage occasional mini moments of disconnect, something like: Now that you have read our story about 5 easy recipes with asparagus, talk to a friend about it, or perhaps go into your kitchen and start making something based on those recipes, preferably while holding a conversation with those around you.
Perhaps instead of going from one click to the next, we would be better if we were to encourage going from the click to more personal connections.
When we talk about the big disconnect, it is primarily about a break away from too much time with our favorite digital gadgets, to encourage greater connect in the old fashioned way: interacting the way we have since times immemorial.
For more information:
http://www.catherinesteineradair.com/big_disconnect.html
October 7-8, Berlin
I am honored to be part of this program in which I will conduct about four different presentations dealing with storytelling across platforms, tablet edition design, the media quartet and the importance of design in today’s multi platform world.
There are still some places left for those wishing to attend the WAN IFRA 6th Tablet & App Summit.
Overview of the event:
http://www.wan-ifra.org/events/6th-tablet-app-summit
Program overview:
http://www.wan-ifra.org/events/6th-tablet-app-summit?view=sessions
Mario Garcia’s presentation:
http://www.wan-ifra.org/events/speakers/mario-garcia-1