There has been a lot of reaction to the piece published in the Times earlier this week about the negative effects of multitasking and hyperconnectivity. Most of it has been either been further hand-wringing over how much of a problem this is, or a rejection of the idea that there is any problem to begin with.

I was happy to see this piece today, in which a number of contributors from different disciplines present actual, constructive ideas for how to create more balance and “unplugged” space. None of the ideas are particularly radical - most are of the “just control yourself” variety - but I appreciated the focus on solutions rather than problems.

First Steps to Digital Detox

An interesting thing I noted is that one of the authors compared cutting down on technology use to dieting: i.e., it’s difficult and unpleasant in the short-term but rewarding in the long term. I thought this comparison was striking, as it is fairly well-documented that people can’t really sustain dieting behaviors in the long term. It’s just too hard. Will the same hold true for technology? Will the gratification of the immediate rewards overwhelm our attempts at self control? Intuitively, I think not. I personally find there are great immediate (as well as long-term) rewards to unplugging — a sense of relief and peace and quiet — in a way that there aren’t for eating a salad. But then again, maybe I’m just not very addicted to connectivity… 

(Also, in the comments for this article, someone recommended the current Adbusters issue entitled “The Whole Brain Catalog” as another good read on the topic. While I haven’t gotten to read the whole issue yet, there are a couple of articles from it available on their website.)