Book review. What screens do to us?

creativemary in Hive Book Club • 3 months ago

If you were to track the exact amount of time that you spend online, how many hours would you write down right now? I dare you to try next week to put on paper the exact amount of time you spend watching a screen. This includes work time, scrolling time, whatsapp time, Hive time, Instagram/TikTok/Facebook time, anything that implies your eyes staring at the dazzling piece of tech the humans invented: screens.

The book I am about to introduce to you today is not a pleasant reading. Maybe because it is such a direct straigtforward piece of well documented literature that shows how much he have distorted humanity because of our extended time in front of screens. The book “Ibrain. Surviving the technological alteration of the modern mind” written by Gary Small and Gigi Vorgan raises a valid concern about the big chasm happening between generations now that they call the brain gap. We have the younger generation who is tech savvy since they are 2 years old and 60 years old people who have no idea what’s the thing with Facebook. The gap is huge. In the same time interpersonal skills are at their ultimate low. Without practice, teenagers and even adults lose the skills of having a conversation. A genuine one. Empathy, compassion, reading social cues and body language is vital. But spending almost 10 hours online each day makes it impossible for humans to hone their skills. Face to face communication cannot be replaced by video calls. We are social creatures and we thrive in tribes. But in 2024 we are more alone than ever and yet together.

Have you witnessed the sight of people who gather at lunch to talk yet everybody is on their phones? Have you seen a mother staying on her phone while she places another one in front of her baby? Have you seen couples that hold hands while both are on their phones? I witnessed all of the above and it’s scary. There is a direct correlation between TV time and ADHD and autism. The more you allow your child to sit in front of the screen the more the risk of him/her developing these conditions.

I have gone into the nitty gritty and did a very thorough presentation of this book that completely changed how I look at screens. Maybe some of you have noticed that my online activity on the plaform has declined. This is because I intentionally try to cut down on my screen time as much as I can as I have read about the really bad “side effects” of it. I think we need to reevaluate what is really harming us at our core as human beings and screens have pulled us apart more than anything else in the last years. We need to become aware of this serious matter. Count your screen time. Write it down. Evaluate and be amazed then do something about it. I doubt that anyone on their deathbed will say “I wish I had spent more time online”…

#proofofbrain #neoxian #books #ladiesofhive #mentalhealth

3 months ago in Hive Book Club by creativemary

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carolynstahl 3 months ago

I'm old, so I see the change in the decades of people and technology. I still think it's strange to go on public transportation and see everyone with their heads down, instead of looking out the window, like I do and did all my life.

I also notice the parents pushing a stroller with one hand and the phone in the other. The folks walking their dogs, and a phone in one hand. The craziest one has to be the romantic date where each person sits with a phone. The most annoying for me is, when someone asks you a question, and before you finish the answer, they turn away to answer a text.

Thanks for bringing this important topic to light.

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creativemary 3 months ago

Hey Carolyn! Your answer is so refreshing for me ! I thought I am the only one thinking that what you wrote is crazy, that I might be the one who is not adapting to the "new age". It is crazy that we are living in these days watching how human beings ignore each other and place more value to this piece of plastic than to the other being who is alive. I feel, boy do I feel you! I witnessed the same picture as you did. Your sense of observation is spot on! To notice the little details like a bus trip reveals a lot about the critical point where us as a society are. There is joy in watching a landscape, seing the smile on a baby's face, hearing the trills of a bird.

Romantic dates....let's not even go there! I can remember multiple times when I had to give a warning to the person to stop checking their phone! At a point I gave up realizing it is futile. Screens get people addicted to a life they think is better than the real life they could experice. It looks like we are living in a deeply disturbing world.
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts about this!🤗

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carolynstahl 3 months ago

Yes indeed. It's a disturbing world and I'm actually scared. I really appreciate that you are on my page. It helps that I'm older but I have seen seniors doing the same.

If we could just get the black mirror device users to understand what they're doing.😌

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creativemary 3 months ago

I get scared too thinking how emotionally malnourished people get to be because of these devices. I feel they disconnect us from true , real, face to face interaction. It is a serious matter and I can only witness it and try to make changes in my own life regarding it with the hope that maybe other people will do the same

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mviews 3 months ago

Screentime is seriously bad for us but sadly we all know this and still do it. I have stopped reading book for some time now but I think now is the best time to get back into it. I'll check this book out and hope it motivates me to strive for less screentime.

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creativemary 3 months ago

I hope you will get the book and delve into it deeper. Screens are harming humanity

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mandysmoon 3 months ago

Oh dear, how I struggle with that screentime. I think that we get so used to the short format content that we loose the track of time because "it's just a couple of reels on Instagram" or "I'll just scroll for a bit on Facebook to get distracted", but in reality we spend hours there, just watching stuff that are not really enriching but definitely are easy to watch...

Probably if the was more information about this topic people would realize how unhealthy it is to be stocked to a screen all the time, but sadly that's not mainstream.

Great post with a great reflection about our society nowadays.

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creativemary 3 months ago

Binge scrolling! Been there done that hahahaha. There is a sort of burnout at the end of it, don't you feel it? It is like exposing yourself to tons of food without any nutrients, the more you take in the hungrier you get. It is so addictive because it is so easy. With the phone you are one finger away from the entire world which seems so enticing , right? That's the trick that traps many people in, the illusion that something more exciting than one's life happens outside, somewhere out of our reach!
Thank you a lot for stoping by and sharing your own screen experience!

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mandysmoon 3 months ago

You couldn't explain it better, it's totally like that. And the burnout feeling is so real that makes me not want to binge scroll never again, but like an addict, I fall back at it again

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creativemary 3 months ago

Yes it is an addiction and it wears you down , this is why you feel burn out

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dandays 3 months ago

I got this film/trailer bit where I go in a restaurant and introduce myself to a couple dining, enjoying the night out, sitting across from each other, both staring at their phones when I ask wtf are you looking at ?!? but I need a camera person skilled in jujitsu.

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creativemary 3 months ago (edited)

Hahaha! Just yesterday I was passing by a restaurant where a couple with a baby had lunch. The dad was on the phone, the mom as well and the baby was screaming alone in the chair. It is deeply disturbing for me to watch these scenes. And they become quite common...

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lizelle 3 months ago

Guilty as charged!
I know it's bad, yet I still do it. Why?
It's awful to see tiny kids continuously staring at a screen.
I would love to get this book, and try to limit screen time as I know it's harmful.
Thank you for sharing this book.

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creativemary 3 months ago (edited)

Oh dear I understand you! We have all been through it! I was guilty too! I still make an effort to limit my exposure, believe me!

Screen time for children (babies to toddlers ) is correlated with high risk of ADHD and autism. This is serious research. Parents who give children phones leave them unattended for hours in front of their TV are just....clueless, to put it lightly. We need to educate people about it! Babies should not be exposed to screens at all!

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ayane-chan 3 months ago

Have you witnessed the sight of people who gather at lunch to talk yet everybody is on their phones? Have you seen a mother staying on her phone while she places another one in front of her baby? Have you seen couples that hold hands while both are on their phones?

I've witnessed these ones, too. It's a sad reality right now. It seems people couldn't live without their gadgets everytime. I'm guilty for sure. It's a bad habit that dies really hard. Anyway, thanks for introducing the book. It's interesting.

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creativemary 3 months ago (edited)

It is sad. It is scary. We will deal with the consequences 20 years from now because the brains of the toddlers from these times have to develop in order to see how they will be as adults. Predictions are not very nice.
Thank you for stopping by and I hope this book will help you!

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mrspointm 3 months ago

@tipu curate

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tipu 3 months ago

Upvoted 👌 (Mana: 27/57) Liquid rewards.

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creativemary 3 months ago

Thank you!

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kgakakillerg 3 months ago

I really enjoyed the post to many people spend way to much time online I like to get out everyday and do things I do stuff that makes me feel happy everyday and Also the people around me

Great post my friend 👊🏾 keep up the great work 🤗

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creativemary 3 months ago

Thank you very much! Going out everyday is really good, the more time spent outdoors the better! Have an awesome weekend ahead🤗

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kgakakillerg 3 months ago

You are more than welcome 🤗

Thanks my friend 🤝🏾 I hope you have a wonderful weekend too 🥂

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hivebuzz 3 months ago

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hive-lu 3 months ago

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