Franklin Delano Roosevelt (a former president of the United States, in case you younger techies missed meeting him in your history books) said: "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." That's a pretty good definition of anxiety. If someone pulls a gun on you, you experience fear. It you worry about someone pulling a gun on you, that's anxiety.
I happen to be afraid of many aspects of technology -- I'm fearful too. Technology now permeates our lives to the extent that it's tough to get a handle on. It's everywhere. So what to do? Maybe if we prioritize, we can reduce its fear factor.
Let's break down the effects of technology into three areas: FIRST we have the sheer amount of media exposure that children experience. This can lead to less face-to-face contact with family members, a splintered self-concept, concentration problems, low frustration tolerance, (that can play out in a need to be entertained at all times, including in the classroom and at home) less physical activity and more mental health and physical health problems.
SECOND we have basic electronic games (single shooters). They mesmerize our kids, leave them passive and drained, and lead to addiction. The No.1 fear of all technology fears derives from this area: that our kids' brains are being rewired in ways that will hurt them now and all of society at some time in the future. These games reward rapid eye response and circumscribed fine motor skills -- not thinking. They stunt children's internal motivation, creativity and imagination.
THIRD, we have the process of techno-communication: surfing, texting e-mail, Twitter, skimming, information snacking, information overflow, less privacy (an increased coarseness in human relationships), cut-and-paste creativity, and a pace that leaves us breathless and stressed.
There we have it-- just three areas -- and when I focus on those three areas, what I fear the most are the damaging effects of much of this technology on our children. Sure, adults can become addicted, face stress at the office and develop poor learning and communication skills, but at least their brains developed in a normal way that rewarded thinking, creating, imagining and the importance of body language. And along the way they got some exercise. I like to use the analogy of fast foods. If kids spend 11 hours a day eating fast foods (as they do with media exposure), they'll be a physical mess by age 20, but if they grow up with a well-balanced diet, they can take advantage of the technology at fast-food joints and get a quick meal -- from time to time.
So, are we ready for the Cyber Child? Proponents of technology want us to welcome a new type of child, one without the limitations of the human child. A wizard at collecting world wide information instantly, the Cyber Child will embody a whole new way of learning and communicating. Freed from limits imposed by tradition, emotion and face-to-face contact, this child will revolutionize the course of human history. Impatient with the slow unfolding of ideas and concepts, the Cyber Child will establish new levels of speed and efficiency.
But there could be a few drawbacks to this new Wunderkind:
One is the importance of a well-defined and integrated self-concept. A healthy view of one's self requires high levels of emotional security and basic trust. This security comes from face-to-face contacts with parents, siblings and peers. While Gaderian, the cyber robot, is high on precision, he's certainly lacking in emotional warmth and empathy --not to mention a sense of humor. No pat on the back when the going gets tough, either.
Cyber Boy (and Girl) with their lop-sided brains will be fast and efficient thinkers, no doubt. But what happens to creativity when the right-brain is starved? Will Cyber Child rush about, snacking on unrelated bits of information, staying too busy to stop and think -- to stop and meditate? Will his depleted brain cells limit contemplation? Will multi-tasking destroy the ability to prioritize and think deeply?
Rushing about can lead to "Acquired Attention Deficit Disorder." I view ADHD as a "wet brain" disorder involving dopamine and immature frontal lobes of the brain. But Cyber Kids aren't getting the frontal lobe stimulation they need and are behaving much like ADHD kids. Dr. John Ratey, professor at Harvard Medical School thinks we're getting away from our genetic roots which used to have time for deep contemplation rather than the bombardment of constant stimulation. 1
And what about the mind-body balance? Will Cyber Girl grow fat and passive behind the computer screen? Can the mind function without a robust body? Maybe the cyber mind won't need to function. With everything at its fingertips, it doesn't need to think or remember. Just look it up -- it takes only seconds. And what about art, romance, and inspiration?
Oh well, it's a cyber life after all, not a human life, and in 50 years we may know of nothing else.
