Screen Addiction

Does the overuse of screens alter our perceptions of reality?

Screen Addiction

Deconstructionist philosopher Avital Ronell teaches that a few generations ago European travelers in the Swiss Alps found the sight of the mountain peaks so overwhelming that they equipped their carriages with special screens to block their view. They looked through tinted glasses to mediate the experience of raw nature. Today, standing in the Alps or outside our home, we no longer rely on colored glasses. Instead, we use digital cameras, cell phones and movie players to filter our experience. And we have become so accustomed to the view that we prefer pixels to sublime reality … we are addicted to the screens we use to dampen the rawness of life.

We are a society in the grips of a widespread screen addiction. Many of us spend upwards of eight hours a day staring at a screen. We carry video capable iPods, Internet savvy BlackBerrys and graphically stunning portable game machines. We steal glances at these little screens throughout the day and then tuck them back into our pockets and return our gaze to the big screens sitting on our desks. In order to relax, we plop ourselves in front of a widescreen TV. We spend more time making eye contact with our screens than with our neighbors.

The screen is, by design, the ultimate distraction. Even when we try to avoid looking at screens, our eyes are naturally drawn to their flickering lights. The dazzling special effects of our iPhones and our video games stimulate our brains more powerfully than reality. Given the option of looking at the slow pace of nature unfold or the frenetic speed of a big budget movie playing on a tiny screen, we often choose the screen. But training our brains to expect constant visual stimulation has troubling consequences.

Neuroscientists are beginning to address the long-term consequences of visual addiction. Books such as iBrain: Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind argue that the increase in screen use has rewired our brains and led to a decrease in our empathy and our ability to read facial language. The authors of iBrain ultimately propose a policy of moderating screen time, I wonder if this goes far enough. As visual technologies advance and a greater proportion of our working lives are spent online, there isn’t one, individual-based, solution.

Society is addicted to screens. What we need, therefore, is not a policy of personal moderation but a cultural revolution. Our visual addiction is masking our fear of feeling existence to its fullest. Our task is to build a movement to unwire our social relationships, to unlink our workplace communications and to accept the slow pace of life in order to directly confront the existential dilemmas that we face.

Micah White is a Contributing Editor at Adbusters and an independent activist. He is writing a book on anti-screen activism. www.micahmwhite.com or micah (at) adbusters.org

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September
28, 2009
11:26 pm
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I find it addictive and the comfort of the screen really is hard to resist. Its hard to move or think about doing anything else when its on. And there are so many new things online to get stuck into. But I'm going to try and cut down to a few hours a day, and I think it could get easier after that. I think if you get enough time and distance from the screen its tentacles start to loosen. But once you go back to it it gets hold again. I get a good walk everyday and talk to a few people and that connects me with nature and the world. God knows what I would be like without that.

— Davelyd
July
08, 2009
02:17 pm
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“The medium is the message” I wonder what Marshal MacLuhan would say about screen addiction. Too bad we’ve all but forgotten about him and the field he basically started. Adbusters, why don’t you do a few pieces centered around him? — Anonymous
July
05, 2009
10:01 am
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the screen has changed the way we communicate. i have received and guilty of sending some myself, though i have stopped for i realized the stupidity of said action, some emails that would never be said to ones my face. — Anonymous
June
04, 2009
11:44 pm
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Yes well whatever when you awake from the grips of death as I you will fear not the screens nor sigh — F IV
May
29, 2009
06:58 am
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Screens are everywhere, we simply could not function without them now in my opinion. You always have the option not to look if your so inclined. — Anonymous
May
28, 2009
02:39 am
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People are born into reality with screens. Kids take for granted the existence of computers/TV/cinematic mind grab and feel them to be an integral and inseparable part of their world. These are wonderful tools just like the power of the split atom. The way one may use the tool is up to his/her education/indoctrination. So, in my opinion, we are always back to square one of humane and responsible nurturing and upbringing. It is clear that sound education and support of fresh and often frail families is not in the government's interest. They need violent and "criminal" wreckage of unsuccessful mating experiments to terrorise the docile, "meek and obidient" herds into believing that cattle needs to be shepherdised and policed and protected by the state. And the state is just the same feudal assemblage of rob-barons but with a centuries old expertise of ape-husbandry and accumulated unimaginable wealth and power. Cattle doesn't even entertain the idea of "stateLESS" mode of grazing. — An Earthling
June
05, 2009
11:47 am
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10/10 — Jihad The Arab
May
26, 2009
11:48 am
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I believe there two points to be made in this article. the first being oversumption and the second being pseudo experiences. In the case that too much of anything is bad for you, dependence causes some level of rewiring. whether its evolution or our ability to access such creature comforts, we as human beings have to choose to stay connected as a species. The purpose of technology and the abuse of technology are blurred lines. As to the second point, every experience you have molds you in some form or fashion. It is a known fact that speaking to an automated response vs a live person is a #1 customer complaint. That is because people want to relate to a person. If you had to choose a conversating with a live person or texted over a social networking site, which would you choose. Most will choose the instinctual answer. — Anonymous
May
24, 2009
10:27 pm
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I totally understand exactly what you were saying in this article, I see it in my age group completely, but I am an extreme case of this. From around the ages of 15-17 all I did was sit in front of my computer for all of my spare time, I hung out with four friends maybe once every other week and during my spare time in school, but we mostly watched movies together. A few months ago I realized exactly how addicted I was and decided to get out of my bedroom. I was no introvert before this, I just eat up information so I thought it was healthy. Now that I'm trying to make new human connections I can't. I go to parties, I go to functions, I am literally trying everything I can to start socializing and apart from my handful of friends I cannot for the life of me interpret how to behave and respond in these situations, I just don't get it anymore. I used to be great at improv and drama, but those skills are completely gone. In my years in front of the computer I developed a handicap, I cannot connect with anyone that I wasn't friends with before I went through my 2-3 year period of reading on the computer for ten hours a day. I am a good listener, except for that I have nothing to offer. After 7 months of giving myself a limited amount of time allotted for being in front of the monitor or tv I'm still incredibly frustrated by how much progress I've made. This summer I'm going camping/hiking for at least a month with a few people I am acquainted with, however I have no idea what effect it'll have but I'll go crazy if I still can't come back to earth. — Anonymous
May
31, 2009
05:53 pm
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"I am a good listener, except for that I have nothing to offer." Listening is the best thing you can offer. I strongly believe that by listening, you'll attract more people into your life (if that's what your goal is). — Anonymous2
June
22, 2009
09:08 pm
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Don't force yourself to listen to something you don't want only to attract more people into your life. — Anonymous
May
23, 2009
11:51 am
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People always get so angry when I go somewhere, even to party down the block and don't take any pictures. I always tell them, "What's a visual representation of a landmark or event without the ambiance, the affect, the feeling of place?" — Alaric Malgraith
May
29, 2009
09:37 pm
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Doesn't everyone seem ready to be nostalgic about an event even before its even over! So often when im overseas I see tourists walking along with a camera glued to their eye taking a photo that they can examine later in more detail, a mediated experience rather than seeing it themselves. It is as if we have to prove to others what we've seen, how cultured we are. Its as if society is a teenager that is having an identity crisis and has to prove to everyone what they are, what they stand for, what they believe in. Rather than living and experiencing lives for ourselves we are constantly consuming for the sake of others — Anna Breeze
May
22, 2009
11:02 pm
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As a twenty five year old male that has grown up in what has become a technological revolution, I find that people losing the ability to read facial expressions and body language is definitely a concern. Countless times I have been involved in an altercation that was spawned through misinterpretation of someones reaction to information given them. ((Eg: Raise my eyebrow when I heard that this person was moving in with a friend. She interpreted that eyebrow raise as something entirely different and verbally attacked me. Mind you, I'm fairly this person as recently titled queen of the harpies :P)) I haven't felt that my own personal ability in this area has dimished whatsoever. I attribute this to the fact, that despite playing many hours in games, many hours in front of a dvd and spending countless hours in front of a screen in general, I also have maintained active participation in sports and social activities. Sports I feel have replaced to a certain degree, the hunt of the old days, or the battlefield. These things used to heighten our ability to interpret nature. Meanwhile, the women were gathering and socializing with each other, doing their 'womanly' tasks. These social situations that used to be part and parcel of every day life, simply don't exist anymore. But we replaced them over the years, sports, clubs, groups, etc. With the addition of video phones perhaps we'll see this trend ease off some. Scarily though, technology can already read our faces for identification purposes, I see great cause for concern when during a video call, your computer suddenly informs you that your friends mood appears to have shifted from 'normal' to 'sad', essentially removing entirely the need for us to interpret it for ourselves. Anyway, I feel that as long as we continue to interact on a physical level within our community through sports and social activities, we can combat this techno-devolution of our minds. — Disciple of the Aesir
May
22, 2009
12:27 pm
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Michah, I am not cool enough to have studied under Zizek or Judith Butler, but I am gnarly enough to have learned that statements like those below, require something called a footnote to evidence proving both the claim and the fact you are not making it up. "And we have become so accustomed to the view that we prefer pixels to sublime reality … we are addicted to the screens we use to dampen the rawness of life. " and "Society is addicted to screens. What we need, therefore, is not a policy of personal moderation but a cultural revolution. Our visual addiction is masking our fear of feeling existence to its fullest. Our task is to build a movement to unwire our social relationships, to unlink our workplace communications and to accept the slow pace of life in order to directly confront the existential dilemmas that we face. " — Another Matt
May
29, 2009
09:25 pm
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But will we truly gain more knowledge and information if we have to reference everything we say to someone elses idea — Anonymous
May
30, 2009
02:29 pm
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Yes. Without evidence, how can you know it is accurate or not? — Another Matt
June
11, 2009
09:39 am
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Like Micah, I'm cool enough to have studied under Zizek, Butler, Ronell et al. and I wouldn't worry about those sources. I suspect that Avital taught the thing about the screens in a seminar, which means it's not necessarily in a book. It's still right to credit her. The rest of the article reads to me like it's Micah who's writing and not Micah who's quoting. What's important is that you read it, think it over and make up your own mind. You don't always have to quote people, you may also write stuff first-hand. Otherwise, we won't get any new knowledge. Besides, there is a lot of research, opinions etc out there that provide evidence but are still not correct. — CH
May
22, 2009
11:39 am
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Stand in the place where you live ... Think about direction; wonder why you haven't before ... Your feet are going to be on the ground; your head is there to move you around. So, stand. — R.E.M.
May
22, 2009
11:19 am
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The car is another filter that disconnects us from reality. It distorts our sense of distance and separates us from the environment that suffers the consequences of our decisions on where to live and how to get around. Much like a screen, the trance-like hold of its seductive comfort can be hard to break. Whatever the venue, we would all do well to take time, even if just for a few moments out of each day, to stop, think, and feel. — Omar
July
11, 2009
01:19 am
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It frightens me how disconnected I can feel in a car. I’m actually very fortunate that my A/C is broken and I have to drive with my windows down, otherwise I am prone to feel like I am in a bubble outside of space and time where my actions have no real consequences, like I’m in some sort of video game. — 5and6
May
22, 2009
09:40 am
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Its scary when in the article it says "We steal glances at these little screens throughout the day and then tuck them back into our pockets and return our gaze to the big screens sitting on our desks.(which is what I do all day) In order to relax, we plop ourselves in front of a widescreen TV.(which is what I do after work) How could we possible change? Especially when your job is to work at a computer? Lets think this out and figure how we can change, OR if this is natural evolution. — Zach
May
22, 2009
06:52 am
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Totally agree with the article. I believe the point is we mediate all our experiences through the screen. The screen itself is not bad - the technology isn't bad, just its overuse. I would say more than a couple of hours a day is probably too much. The counter argument may be that this is simply not possible when living a modern life. My answer: you don't have to. Lets live the post-modern life with less screen time, less work time, less stress time and more family time, more community time and more fun time :) — Luke Hulm
May
21, 2009
10:52 pm
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Mr. White, This is certainly an improvement on your previous post. You have returned your attention to the "mental environment," and correctly stated that cultural revolution is our only hope (as opposed to banning whatever we don't like.) Unfortunately, those of us who are young enough that we've grown up with the internet (for instance, I was a teenager when it became mainstream in the '90s) can barely even imagine how we would find out about anything we're interested in--whether it's information we want to know, a political movement or community project we want to join, or a product we want to buy--without the internet. And the danger is that whatever means you older folks had at your disposal for accomplishing such simple tasks will disappear, if they have not already, because of the shift to reliance upon the internet (just as the ubiquity of cell phones has caused most pay phones to disappear.) However, if we out here in blogland knew what to do about this, we would be the ones writing for magazines. Beyond merely pointing out that a problem exists, do you folks at Adbusters have any ideas about what we might do about such problems (i.e. how do we foment this cultural revolution? Besides buying Kalle Lasn's book?) — Anonymous
May
21, 2009
07:15 pm
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It's a bit late for such a valid point, especially when its so thoroughly ingrained in the global consciousness. And movement? The very evil of this pixelated screen obsessed gen reduces people to hindu cows that they don't give a hot fart about anything. Funny that machines are making machines out of humans instead of us making them more like us. — Jason Chaotic
May
21, 2009
06:37 pm
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It's a good discussion topic, but I do find it ironic you (probably) used a computer with screen to write this and I'm reading it via a screen. And there's almost no chance we would have a discussion without a screen. It seems to be one of those situation where a functioning addict might not be such a bad thing. Though that would infer filtering life isn't such a bad thing, but we know that to not be true. Ahh, technology and ethical life style are a weird duo. — Anonymouse
July
02, 2009
11:10 pm
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i would say “moral”, not ethical… — Anonymouse2

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