11.07.2011                      09.Tammus, 5771

Meinung:

Untangling the Web: 21st-century ADHD

A new Jpost.com column on the ever-changing world of news online: In the sea of iPhones and flashing ads, what is the proverbial Ritalin?

On a recent trip to my native Australia, I learned a stark lesson on the effect of technology on human interaction. With an iPhone and an unlimited data package in the room, conversation is compromised. A movie comes up, someone can’t remember the name of that actor, and bam! Out comes the phone, Wild West quick-draw style. What year did that war start? Google it. Which episode of “Seinfield” was that quote from? Imbd it. No need to use your brain, your memory, no time for debate. For the smartphone generation, attention span and memory skills are no longer required.
The truth is that while I don’t (yet) have a smartphone, once I’m in front of a computer I’m no better; I too suffer from google-quick-draw syndrome. While writing this column, I’ve been flipping through eight different browser windows, left three videos loading on YouTube, had work and personal e-mails open, and two gchats and a Skype conversation running simultaneously. Smartphones are clearly not the issue here, they are merely the next step in our technological evolution, allowing us to carry the Internet in our pockets at all times….