Does anyone remember Tootles, the lost boy all grown up in the 1991 movie Hook? Just to refresh your memory, Tootles was Wendy’s first orphan in the classic novel Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie, and at the end of the book he leaves Neverland to return home to London with the Darling children. Like Wendy, Michael and John, Tootles actually grows up and lives a long life — but with a major disappointment — he spends his whole life looking for his lost marbles, which he left back in Neverland. The sad part is that he can’t remember leaving the marbles there because the magic of Neverland is lost in the hardship of life in the real world.
As is my usual habit, I was listening to NPR on the drive home last week when Fresh Air came on with this story title: Digital Overload: Your Brain On Gadgets. Let me just say I was riveted because I have been feeling a lot like Tootles for the last year or so — fully engaged and living life but somehow suspecting that I am missing something important most of the time. With the continuously rising tide of digital habits in my life — from texting to Facebook — I have had this slightly oppressive sense that I can’t escape and just go off the grid. With so many limits removed on our communication options, there are times that I feel like my brain is literally about to explode with data inputs, questions and to do lists. And now, I know that strange sense is actually more than a feeling… Science is now proving that the constant use of digital devices as companions 24 hours a day is literally changing our behaviors… our thinking … and even the way our brains work. Scary. Contrary to popular belief, we are actually losing our multi-tasking skills instead of improving them. What’s more, our technically-charged habits are causing us to lose our ability to think critically. Our society is in effect becoming numb. We take data and entertainment in, and produce less out. We absorb but don’t engage or change.
The average person today consumes almost three times as much information as what the typical person consumed in 1960, according to the NPR story. (I encourage you to listen to the full interview, it is much better than the written story.) What’s more, scientists now think the frontal lobes of children being raised with today’s technology are being altered and are more prone to addictive behavior, which can lead to poor decision-making.
Like the magic of Neverland fading in my memory, my infatuation with technology has rapidly been replaced with a nagging sense of annoyance… and I have been wondering why. After 30 minutes of listening to this NPR report, I not only feel like my suspicions have been validated, but I have also come to the conclusion that going off the grid is essential for me to stay fresh, creative, patient and productive — in my relationships and my work life. The question is how to do it when everyone else seems blissfully ignorant of all the marbles they’re losing and keep insisting on stealing mine instead?
– Kim Stiver Twitter: @kimstiver
