Irresistible Analysis

“Technology: What Are the Consequences of Life in a Connected World?” by Maria Konnikova, a doctoral candidate in psychology at Colombia University, writes how Sherlock Holmes can teach us about observation, attention, and happiness. She points out in today’s world we are so fascinated with our cell phones, e-mail, twitter and Facebook, we cannot even see the world around us. We focus on one thing at a time and doing one thing, and thinking about another when our mind wanders can cause unhappiness. Living in a digital world has had a huge impact on making our lives easier, but also may cause some behavioral addictions.
To see and observe is the answer as when Watson, who shared a place with Sherlock Holmes, did not know there were seventeen

steps leading to their apartment. Watson says “I believe my eyes are as good as yours,” but Holmes remarks “You see but you do not observe” (321). Konnikova said she was no better than Watson at observing because of her constant companion Smartphone, Lady Twitter, Count Facebook and the itch her fingers gets when she has not checked her e-mail for ten minutes, but it sees so much longer than that. Konnikova points out we need to concentrate on the moment to the fullest free of any distractions (321). Holmes observes details that most of us do not see, and researchers have discovered mindfulness can lead to improvements in physiological, well-being, and emotional regulation. It can strengthen connectivity in the brain, and enhance our levels of wisdom, improve problem solving, imagination and better decision making. It is a weapon against inattentional blindness, such as students not seeing a person in a gorilla suit who walked onto a basketball court during the game. This was proven by researcher Neisser, when he looked out the window and saw he either could see the twilight or the reflection of the room in the glass. He termed this phenomenon “selective looking” and went on to study its effects. An example of this is when a road crew paved over a dead deer because they were so busy making sure their assignment was carried out they did not see it. Inattentional blindness illustrates the limitations of our attentional abilities (322). To think like Holmes would take practice and effort on our part. Konnikova downloaded Freedom, a program that blocked access for a certain period of time, and tried to concentrate at writing. At first it was difficult to stay away from the online world, but soon with less internet she could think more clearly. Pieces that took hours to write were completed in much less time. Konnikova did her best to resist taking off her headphones and looking around to notice nature and felt happier. Even five minutes a day was shown to shift brain activity in the frontal lobes with positive emotional states. It was discovered that a wandering mind is not happy. Daniel Gilbert discovered people were not thinking about what they were doing even if what they were doing was pleasant, like listening to music. The more the mind wanders, the less happy one will be.
Furthermore, New York Times bestselling author Adam Alter, in his book ’Irresistible” discusses the rise of addictive technology and how it is keeping us hooked.

He believes that it threatens the health of not only children, but everyone. Alter points out in his book how we are psychologically connected to our devices like social networks, smartphones, games, fitness watches and other gadgets. He offers advice on how we can regain control of our time, finances and relationships. He states we are in a digitally connected world that has turned us into addicts. Steve Jobs explained how the iPad was the best way to listen to music, take classes, browse Facebook, play games along with thousands of other apps, but refused to let his own kids use the device. It was much the same of drug dealers who believe, never get high on your own supply. Greg Hochmuth, one of Instagram’s founding engineers remarked, “There’s always another hashtag to click on, then it takes on its own life, like an organism and people can become obsessive” (3). Users benefit from these apps and websites, but also struggle to use them in moderation. There are people on the other side that break down any self-regulation that you have. When we think of addicts we think of chain-smoking, heroin and pill popping. This digital age is more conductive to addiction than any other in history. This new tech age offers convenience, speed and automation, but at what costs. In 2004 Facebook was fun; in 2016, it’s

addictive (5). Instagram is addictive because some photos attract many likes while others do not. Users will post one photo after another to up their likes. Gamers will play certain games for days on end because they’re driven to complete missions and formed strong social ties that bind them to other gamers. Addictive tech is part of the mainstream in a way that addictive substances never will be. Abstinence isn’t an option, but there are other alternatives. You can confine addictive experiences to one corner of your life, while courting good habits that promote healthy behaviors (9). Maybe the same principles that cause harm could be channeled for good goals like learning at school, exercising and saving money for retirement.
In addition, Kevin Holesh, an app developer, designed an app called Moment to see how much time he was spending on his phone. He found out he was using his phone three hours a day and picking it up forty times a day. With other users each month one hundred hours checking e-mail, texting, playing games, surfing the web, reading articles, and checking bank balances. Researchers have named this overuse “nomophobia” (no-mobile-phobia). Technology has changed how we exercise with wearable devises capturing every step, some will even exercise with stress fractures. One recent study showed up to 40 percent of the population suffer from some form of Internet addiction whether e-mail, gaming or porn. “Human attention is dwindling” reports Adler (28).
One analysis of seventy two studies found empathy has declined among college students, they show less concern for others.

This problem is bad among boys, but even worse among girls. Many teens refuse to communicate on the phone or face-to-face, they fight by text. Adler reports “They don’t have to deal with seeing their faces or reactions” (41). Another problem that has arisen is sleep deprivation caused by smartphones, e-readers and other light-emitting devises. When the blue light hits your eyes the pineal gland stops producing melatonin and your body prepares for day. Kids need sleep and physical activity, family time, and time to use their imagination. One example is a one year old girl who swipes an iPad screen like a pro squealy happily as the device responds to her will. When she is given a magazine she continues to swipe and becomes frustrated when nothing happens (244). The American Academy of Pediatrics that television and other entertainment media should be avoided under two. Research shows the most important factor in a child’s healthy development is a positive parent-child relationship.
China has become the first country to declare internet addiction a clinical disorder and labeled it “the number one public health threat” to its teenage population. Research showed addicts spend more than six hours a day online not for work or studying, but to play games. Some kids are so hooked they will not take time to go to the bathroom, so they wear a diaper

(253). Gamification is a powerful tool, and like all powerful tools it brings mixed blessings. Adler advises “games do an excellent job of relieving pain, replacing boredom with joy, and merging fun with generosity” (316).
In conclusion, life is great in the digital age, as far as I am concerned. I agree with both Konnikova and Adler that addiction to all of these devices like smartphones and the internet are not good, but also make our life so much easier. Current uses of the internet are for business, social interaction, entertainment, and knowledge. Others go online because they feel lonely and isolated. Sherry Turkle pointed out even when students traveled they would spend their time on Facebook talking to friends back home instead of enjoying new culture. There is also online shopping 24 hours a day. One can find out anything with the touch of a fingertip. These devices are both good and bad. Some will never turn their phone off. I guess most of us are afraid we will miss something. We do not know what will happen ten years from now. Maybe e-mail accounts can be shut down at a certain hour and games could have stopping points. Downtime could help so we could communicate with one another directly and this could bring us more happiness than screens ever could. For some that are addicted to the internet, where it has become unhealthy, there is the option to go for therapy at treatment centers that will help.

Works Cited

The Arlington Reader Technology: What are the Consequences of Life in a Connected World? Konnikova, Maria
Alter, Adam Irresistible Published in the United States of America by Penguin Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2017 Published in Penguin Books 2018