Caroline Adams, finally, one of those rare individuals who really 'Think.'

These social networking herds are not going anywhere anytime soon. Trapped as they are in this make believe ecosystem of connectedness, how lonely are they?

Everyone does it. I can't help but....

Madness, I tell you.

I couldn't agree more with your comments, and applaud the steps you've taken to turn down the technologic clutter in your life. Maybe I'll even be inspired to do the same.

Regardless of the true definition of ADD or ADHD, there is little question that we all are vulnerable to distractions. The cost is that it prevents us from moving forward, dealing with the stuff that's important.

I'm not as strong as you in terms of shutting it all down (the technology, that is), but one trick I've used for myself is to write down at the beginning of the day one or two things I absolutely must get done in order to "move forward" that day. At least it helps me prioritize, and temporarily defer email, text messages, etc, which could otherwise use up all of my available time.

Great post!

Thanks for you're blog on this issue. I am very non-materialistic, I don't care about the latest phone, or having a gadget that will help me connect in an infinite way. In fact the ideal life for me is to live without these `time wasters`.

However, I struggle with procrastination and wasting of time when I do have this gadgets. I use to never have facebook and didn't care to join. I didn't understand how anyone could check it so often. Then when I joined, I find myself checking it everyday. It is crazy! I put an application on my internet that can count the time I spend, on average, on sites like facebook, and then I forgot I had it. It tracked my time on facebook the past 6 months and found I spend an average of 3-4 hours on facebook a week. It is not a big number to many, but I also spend time on youtube, checking e-mails constantly etc.

I believe that it takes an enormous amount of self-control, and ultimately it is impossible to get away from it all unless you delete you`re profile, or throw you`re phone away. Of course technology has great advantages, but I believe it is getting out of hand, and a great many are money tons of money off keeping everyone trapped technology.

This post really hit a nerve. I'm so amazed by the power of technology to both help and hurt our productivity. There is a razor-thin line on this one, and we all have to be careful about it if we want to get anything done.

Thanks for reading the post!

I'll agree and say this was a good post. It's not altogether an original concern. Anytime a blogger comes up with this focused criticism of a new method of social media communication, someone always brings up the arguments against the origins of the Internet and the uses of e-mail.

Twitter is not for status updates alone. It's an entirely new way to communicate with and reach people as well.

Used correctly, it is an incredible way to reach people or to stay connected.

Often, however, this need to stay updated leads to a rat race of sorts with everyone firing off messages out into nowhere with the hope that someone reads.

Most are useless. Many are a waste of time.

In the end, I agree--Twitter interrupts productivity more than it provides information and expansion of knowledge.

I would rather spend time elsewhere.

Well stated, Caroline!

The texting and twittering phenomenon has elevated random thoughts into urgent bulletins. Active users seem to be in a constant state of vigilance, on the lookout for the next 140 characters.

This vigilance is stressful. Not only is it distracting, which interferes with getting things done; it also can strain relationships for lack of listening and attention.

I predict that twittering will eventually evolve to the state that email is today - not as a techno-novelty, but as a tool to improve efficiency. Most of us will be more selective in what we read and what we respond to.

In the meantime, I'm still using a simple cell phone with no texting or web package, and have deliberately not automated login to my twitter account.

It's my way of forcing myself to experience more of the 'real world' and participate in more 'real' face-to-face conversations.

;-)

Pauline Wallin, Ph.D.
Author, "Taming Your Inner Brat: A Guide for Transforming Self-defeating Behavior"
http://drwallin.com

Caroline - this is a great post and it reflects a very real and concrete problem. However, I think that it’s not the technology that makes the difference but rather the way it is used. I was initially reluctant to go on twitter too, but now I definitely find it beneficial. For the same reason you sometimes turn your Blackberry off I never enabled twitter mobile text-messaging, so I don’t get my attention shifted and become“absent preset”.

You should give it a try :)