Gadget ADD

I am Marissa, and I am a techniholic.

I have the worst crackbook addiction. Well, maybe not the worst but I could use a twelve step program. My boyfriend often threatens to delete my facebook. "Often" as in daily.

So, this post is in reference to a New York Times article by Matt Richtel. I would link you to it, but I can't, because regardless of how addicted I am to technology, I can't use it to save my life. One of the requirements of this assignment was to read the article online. However, after reading the first page, and acing the focus test mind you, I was then harassed into logging into the NYTimes site as a member to go to the next page. So I read the text format. As far as info overload goes, this blogger site has at least one I have noticed: the stupid auto save clock at the bottom of the draft page! I love the auto-save feature, I just really don't need to see it change every time I pause in typing!

This article discusses the addiction that is the Internet. There are people that have drug and alcohol problems, but the Internet just seems so harmless! It cost Mr. Campbell a huge chunk of money! We as a society have given very little resistance to the techno-invasion with out pausing to consider the consequences. And I have made the same old arguments; it saves time, and energy and keeps me connected. But I don't even want to know the amount of time I spend on Facebook, especially when I am supposed to be studying or doing work.

Another striking part of the article was the discussion of the kids in the family. Now I understand that the family is not hard pressed for cash and the dad works in the technology industry. But there has to be a line drawn for children! The second grader has more technological devices than I do. Second graders are still learning how to spell things, why would they need a text messaging device? And who the heck are they texting? I know my parents would not have trusted me with expensive electronics, toys break too easily. Kids don't need iPods and laptops. They need puzzles and baseballs, things that build hand-eye coordination and intelligence. Most of today's technology seems to just suck creativity out of life. I watched my sister's nephew play hang man on a DS, what happened to good old pen and paper?

It is comforting to know that at least science is looking into our Internet overload. But I think the most important thing to remember is the rule of moderation. Just because a "study" shows that something is good or bad doesn't mean we should ban it all together. We should just use the studies to gage ourselves. The first step to beating addiction is admitting you have a problem. I think society may have a problem. But like the occasional beer or glass of wine, it's not all bad. We just need to keep ourselves in check.