The Diagnosis of Digital Disease – Required Reading
“We’re sick and we don’t even know it,” a friend of mine recently shared, regarding the negative consequences of constant connectivity that the unrelenting “progress” in the digital dimension of our lives has thrust upon us. “No we’re not,” I said.
In his classic work, The Manufacture of Madness, Thomas Szasz (Professor of Psychiatry Emeritus at the Health Science Center, State University of New York – Syracuse) writes: “in vain does the alleged madman insist that he is not sick; his inability to “ recognize” that he is, is regarded as the hallmark of his illness.” [i](1)
“Well, maybe we are and we just don’t know it or are unwilling to admit it.”
Enter William Powers and his first, phenomenal book, Hamlet’s Blackberry – A Practical Philosophy For Building A Good Life In The Digital Age. Powers is a former staff writer focusing on media, technology and the like for the Washington Post, the Atlantic and the New York Times to name a few. Powers speaks from experience – both personal and professional. His story-telling is poignant, well-organized and his arguments and experiences flow.
Life is busy – that’s one fact we can all agree on. However, according to Powers, “Digital busyness is the enemy of depth.” (P.17). “as we connect more and more, they’re changing the nature of everyday life, making it more frantic and rushed. And we’re losing something of great value, a way of thinking and moving through time that can be summed up in a single word: depth. Depth of thought and feeling, depth in our relationships, our work and everything we do. Since depth is what makes life fulfilling and meaningful, it’s astounding that we’re allowing this to happen.” (P.4).
Why is depth so dang important? According to the results of her research conducted over the past fifteen years, at Yale, City University of New York, and, for the past twelve years, in the Department of Psychology at Harvard, Dr. Ellen Langer’s book entitled ‘Mindfulness’ bolsters Powers perspective on the necessity to examine the consequences of connectivity, when she writes, “People create uses for objects. A use is not inherent in an object, independent of the people using it. The successful use of an object depends on the context of its use.”[ii](2) P.122.
Translation: Our addiction to all things digital is impacting the human experience – life as we live it – in both positive and negative ways. Powers opines; “The tool that giveth also taketh away. Once again, it all comes down to what digital busyness does to the mind.” (P. 58). Progress has a price. “Spectacular benefits and enormous costs, in the very same tools,” says Powers (P.65).
The concept of “disease” has an interesting progression in the western, developed world. Take the consumption of alcohol for example. We start out with something whose consumption is viewed as acceptable. It comes in a variety of flavors. Its use becomes rather pervasive. For some, its consumption becomes rationalized as “I deserve it – it makes my life more enjoyable.” For others, they can’t seem to get enough of the stuff. Industry(s) develops around the production, consumption and sale of the substance. Some folks get in trouble. Trouble becomes more frequent. Laws are passed criminalizing public drunkenness. Some folks get ‘addicted’ to the stuff (Humans seem to have a history of difficulty determining when ‘enough is enough’). They require ‘treatment.’ Science declares that alcoholism is a ‘disease.’ Pharmaceutical companies develop “anabuse” to assist those who have become ill and can’t seem to stay away from the dreaded juice. Yet, the use of the substance continues to cause a whole host of societal ills, which become “the price to pay for progress.”
Have we now encountered that point in time when the implications of the effects of digital devices and delivery systems that inhabit our existence require reconsideration for their overall impact on our health and welfare? Sounds prudent to me. That’s Powers’ thesis in this book, as identified in the following excerpt:
“How is this device affecting me and my experience? Is it altering how I think and feel? Is it changing the rhythms of my day? Does life seem to be moving more quickly (or slowly) as a result of this gadget? Is it affecting my work? My home life? If so, are the effects good or bad?” (p.160).
Powers carefully and masterfully weaves insights from Plato, Seneca, Gutenberg, Shakespeare, Ben Franklin, Thoreau and McLuhan into the mix, as the book explores the question: “What can seven dead white guys possibly teach us about life in a rapidly changing global society? More than you might imagine.” (P. 79). I deeply appreciated this journey with the wisdom shared by the guides into the present day depth of dilemma of the digital dimension of our lives. You’ll love this aspect of the book! Powers observes a parallel between previous historical periods and today: “The mind of two thousand years ago often felt hounded, too, cornered, with no place to hide. And back then, as now, there was a need for creative solutions.” (P. 107).
“Creativity.” Ah – I’m glad Powers mentioned that subject. According to the cover story in a recent edition of Newsweek[iii](3) the authors represent that “creativity” is on the decline in the U.S. Although the exact causes of this phenomenon are unclear, the authors point to “one likely culprit is the number of hours kids now spend in front of the TV and playing videogames rather than engaging in creative activities.” [iv] (4) Is it possible that the dependence on digital distraction is diluting our creative capabilities? Listen to Powers: “When work is all about darting around screens, we’re not doing something that’s even more valuable than thinking quickly: thinking creatively. Of the mind’s many aptitudes, the most remarkable is its power of association, the ability to see new relationships among things.” ( emphasis is mine – P.60). As Mihaly Csikszsentmihalyi has said, “Creativity does not happen inside people’s heads, but in the interaction between a person’s thoughts and a sociocultural context. It is a systemic rather than an individual phenomenon.”[v] (P.23). Translation: Creativity requires focus and a free flow of concentration that is devoid of unproductive digital distractions. We must pursue the dimensions of depth on the inside that the gift of human existence affords us. As Powers says: “The first step would be to adopt a different philosophical approach, one that acknowledges that in a busy, crowded world, less is more. That for many of life’s most important and rewarding tasks, inwardness isn’t just nice but essential.” (P.136).
Powers concludes with a plethora of practical advice for managing the madness that has been manufactured around us. Yet, he reminds us that the choice is ours:
“We’re all different, and there’s no one-size-fits-all way to balance the outward life and the inward one. That has always been true. What matters most is engagement, being conscious that you’re shaping your own experience every moment. If you spend most of your time pressing keys and managing electronic traffic, that’s what your life will be about. Maybe that makes you happy. If not, you have other options.” (P.203).
This book should be required reading in the business community, healthcare, high schools, community colleges and universities throughout the U.S. I truly enjoyed it. You will too. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book.
Are you concerned about the consequences that connectivity may be having on your life or your friends, co-workers or children? Or are you insisting that I’m fine?
Remember: Your inability to “ recognize” that you and yours are being bombarded by the designs of the digerati on a daily basis and that this is, in fact, impacting your life in a myriad of ways, is regarded as the hallmark of your illness.”
Please pass the digibuse…then buy this book and start passing it around to your family members, friends and colleagues.
NOTES
[i] Szasz, Thomas The Manufacture of Madness – A Comparative Study of the Inquisition and the Mental Health Movement, Syracuse University Press, Syracuse, New York Copyright © 1970 by Thomas S. Szasz – Originally published in 1970 by Harper & Row Publishers, Inc., p.xvi.
[ii] Langer, Ellen J. MINDFULNESS, Da Capo Press – A Member of the Perseus Books Group, Cambridge, MA Copyright © 1989 by Ellen J. Langer, Ph.D.
[iii] http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/10/the-creativity-crisis.html
[iv] Ibid.
[v] Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly Creativity – Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention, Harper Perrenial, HarperCollinsPublishers, New York, New York Copyright © 1996 by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, p. 23
