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Reflecting on the Research

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Throughout the last several weeks I have been on a mission of sorts to seek out the hows and whys of internet addiction. Although I haven’t been overly surprised with most of what I found, one thing that particularly stood out to me was the fact that the United States has been so slow to actually give this disorder an official clinical diagnosis. To me it so very blatantly obvious that along with the great benefits technology has afforded society, our culture is also becoming ever increasingly dependent on it,  and with this there are also those whose lives are being debilitated by obsession.

To me, this is a sad commentary. I joke a lot about my obsession with Facebook, and the time I spend surfing the net, but truth be told–as compared to some it really is nothing more than a joke. For those who are really struggling with this disorder and who are in need of professional help, these are many times being left out in the cold with no place to go. While professionals are debating the issue with one another the lives of those dealing with these issues are suffering, both in their mental and physical health, and with their personal relationships.  It is time for the debate to be over, and for the help these individuals need so desperately to become available.

The most interesting part of my research is found in the research of Susan Greenfield of Oxford University. Greenfield coined the term “mind change” for the changes she is seeing taking place in the brain (particularly the adolescent brain) as a result of prolong internet and video game usage. My research noted that Greenfield is alarmed because it takes time for our brains to think deeply about the information that it is receiving.  However, as we (and especially the digital natives of this generation) become more and more accustomed to the fast paced movement of moving from one distraction to the next like one sees with the massive information available and to the fast paced nature of internet surfing found when traveling the information super highway.

I see this personally every day in my classes, and I too find this information disturbingly true. All to often when my students are researching any given topic they are not willing to spend any significant amount of time in one spot. They are looking for the immediate satisfaction of information found via bullet points. They are will not spend the time needed to immerse themselves in the meat of a topic in order to obtain reliable and deep knowledge on any given topic. Greenfield believes that if our society continues in this manner the adult brain will degenerate and the young brain will never fully develop. Very scary!

While I am not in the least willing to give up my digital gadgets and gizmos, I do see the problems that are forming as a result of the digital cultural we have all been thrust into, like it or not. We cannot stick our heads in the sand and ignore the issues. We have to rise to the challenge and meet them head on, and hopefully find ways to resolve the issues. Otherwise, it is quite possible that we may be breeding a new generation of mindless zombies. Maybe not the ones we see on the big screen that stumble around looking for human brains to eat, but zombies nonetheless.

As for the overall experience of blogging…I think I will continue to blog. I will most likely adjust my blog to include my individual classes, and more post about my ongoing thoughts and experiences. I hope that as I continue to blog I also continue to learn about the blogging experience, and continue to connect with others through my blog post.


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