A great Smorgasbord of #DigitalFood

A great Smorgasbord of #DigitalFood

"For a clever man, nothing is easier than to find arguments that will convince him that he is doing right when he is doing what he wants to do." - aldous huxley
"For a truly clever man, nothing is easier than to find arguments that will convince him that he is doing what he wants to do, when he is doing right" Jeff Bond

Please go to Patrick Ryall original post to comment( Some super ones to read too !)



Originally shared by Pádraig Ó Raghaill

In pursuit of terra firma 

Technology propels our world, it has provided the ability to source information where once it would have taken weeks, and many trips to a variety of libraries. It has provided a means for information to be spread to all corners of the globe, instantly. Despite all the undeniable benefits it has also disconnected us. Not just from each other but also from our environment. 

The ability to form connections with people through only a screen, a tribe or community could be seen as a positive. Scott Caplan Ph.D. in his 2003 thesis said that people develop a predisposition to forming relationships online and further creates a social anxiety, in the real world. 

Individuals who suffer from psychosocial distress, such as loneliness and depression, hold negative perceptions of their own social competence. 

Existing research on psychosocial health and interpersonal communication competence offers robust support for his claim. First, with regard to loneliness, considerable empirical evidence indicates a significant negative relationship between loneliness and both self- and observer ratings of one’s social skill 

(Jones, 1982; Jones, Hobbs, & Hockenbury, 1982; Prisbell, 1988; Riggio, Throckmorton, & DePaola, 1990; Segrin, 1993, 1996, 2000; Segrin & Flora, 2000; Spitzberg & Canary, 1985; Spitzberg & Hurt, 1987). 

In short, people who prefer to connect online over time experience increased loneliness, a greater feeling of isolation forms and socialisation skills in the real world, further erode. 

As briefly outlined in a post I wrote about children and being parked in front of screens, this can have reaching impacts on a child's mental state and capacity for early learning. https://goo.gl/MIEUQ7 Another brief post outlines how inmates in prison gain more time outside in recreation than the average child. https://goo.gl/AVkukH

For all technology has brought us one could also say it is having severe impacts on the wellbeing of adults and children alike. 

Disconnection from people and environment creates a myriad of physical and mental health issues. Sedentary behaviour impacts the cardiovascular system, impeding the vascular endothelial growth factor, and Type 2 diabetes and obesity are heightened. Prolonged exposure to screens can cause myopia, a condition affecting long and medium vision. 

For adults, an awareness can be all that is needed to adjust lifestyle habits. Although to coin a common sarcastic phrase, 'won't somebody think of the children'. 

Now we have a new technology emerging, in a time when children need more 'reality, we are seeing the emergence of virtual reality. If screen time is bad for kids, just imagine the impact this new technology could have. Exacerbating already poor socialisation skills; while having even more impact on eyesight development.

I want to reiterate, I am in no way anti-technology, in this new series and soon to be published articles it is about awareness and positive reinforcement. In adults and children, we are seeing an increase in physical and psychological disorders. The more we are aware of the downside, the more we are educated, the easier it is to create change.

#EarlyLearning #VirtualReality #ADHD #Sociology