Robert Kenneth Jones 6/16/19 Robert Kenneth Jones 6/16/19

Getting Soft; Casualties of a Digital Age

At the turn of the century, Theodore Roosevelt preached the gospel of the “strenuous life; of toil and effort, of labor and strife”. Over one hundred years later, American’s lead increasingly sedentary lives.Bob Jones explores the cost both physical and spiritual of the digital age.

This is the fourth of four articles about concerns, or the down-side of the digital age in our series, “Mastering our Digital; Recovering the Real World.”

We spend a lot of time in front of one sort of screen or another every day. Michigan State University, which has gathered the largest concentration of media psychologists in the world to analyze digital impact, reports that the average American spends at least six hours a day absorbing electronic media.

There are consequences.

Too much screen time is creating significant health-related problems. This is especially worrisome in children and adolescents as the influence of technology increases. Parents have some big decisions to make when it comes to how much exposure kids have to screens. All of us need to take stock of what we are doing to our bodies and brains as we spend so much of our lives sitting and interacting with these digital devices.

Soft Brains

The most complex computer ever created is the human brain. It is changing and developing from the time we are in the womb until death. Research tells us that the most rapid time of neurological growth goes on for the first decade of life. Every experience contributes to who a child will become. But the changes don't stop there. The adolescent brain undergoes dramatic brain pruning and trimming in which as much as ten percent of gray matter is cast off as unnecessary. Neuronal connections are remapped and higher processing and executive functioning are refined. Even in mid and old age, the brain is constantly recreating and adapting.

So, here is the problem. We are overloading our sensory circuits with too much screen time. In addition, studies confirm that our overuse of digital technology is shrinking gray matter which controls higher functions and impulse control, slowing down signals between brain hemispheres, reducing cortical thickness, and impairing dopamine production causing a declining sense of well being. Overuse of screen time is even said to be contributing to depression and suicide ideation. The bottom line is that we are making soft brains that are maladaptive.

Soft Bodies

It seems obvious that our bodies are not going to respond well to inactivity due to digital abuse. Here are three issues we face as a result:

Weight Gain and General Health~ Inactivity while interacting with screens creates a low-calorie burning scenario. Sedentary habits lead to appetite disruption, decreased muscle mass, obesity. heart disease, diabetes, some types of cancer and links to heart disease.
Sleep Disturbance ~ Digital light suppresses melatonin and sends messages to the brain that it is daytime. Insomnia in adults and children is widespread.
Eye Strain ~ Our eyes are impacted by staring at a screen for long periods of time followed by dry eyes, blurry vision, and headaches.

Toxic Trends

Excessive use of social media has been connected to risky and bad decision making according to Dar Meshi at Michigan State. Inactive bodies and neurologically challenged brains leave us at our most vulnerable. Misinformation and so-called fake news promulgated on the internet and television cause people to develop worldviews and opinions that are not grounded in truth. Once people believe that something false is true it is very difficult to persuade them otherwise.

When these ideas are constantly reinforced on screens we watch for so many of our waking hours, the more divided and unreasonable we become. With Deepfake Videos becoming widespread, the line between what is real and what is not blurs. The threat to our democratic government could be at stake as the next federal election nears. But there is plenty we can do to break the habit and regain control of our lives. Our screens cannot pass sentence on what we are to become unless we allow it.

Three Simple Ways to Reset and Restore

Daily Chores and Routines ~ Set a minimum time for family activities and chores every day while limiting screen time for everyone. Anything more than one hour online is too much. More than an hour of television is enough. Thirty minutes of assigned chores will make your home a happier place. Another thirty minutes of active play inside or out is a must to maintain healthy bodies. Add in thirty minutes of board games, card games or reading together. There are an hour and a half in which digital is out and bonding is in.
Enforce Good Sleep Habits ~ All WiFi should be turned off an hour before bedtime. Studies show that WiFi signals may suppress melatonin and increase arousal levels. Set bedtimes for kids. No junk food or other eating before sleep. Keep rooms as dark as possible.
Be and Play Outside ~ One of the best ways to reset the computer in our heads is exposure to sunlight, play, and exercise. Blood pressure decreases, perspectives are broadened, memory improves and vitamin D levels increase. All the really good stuff is outside after all.

Robert Kenneth Jones 6/2/19 Robert Kenneth Jones 6/2/19

Digital Life; Challenges of A New Frontier

The topic we are investigating in June is "Mastering Our Digital; Recovering the Real World." In a series of four articles and four follow-ups, our hope is to better grasp the nature of this barely charted course before us in order to maintain at least one firmly planted foot in the material dimension where we live and breathe.

We have a dilemma. Portable screens, social media, internet gaming, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and cable television have intruded to a point that we seem beyond the control of them and of ourselves. Even elections are compromised by dark forces bent on influencing who we are and what directions governments should take. It's all pretty overwhelming, especially to skeptical generations which lived most of their lives without these machines. Though the dilemma may appear insoluble, it is not. Or at least it doesn't have to be. After all, these 'things' are designed to make our lives better. The quandary is whether we should fully embrace, begrudgingly accept, or run away screaming as this New Frontier of Digital Life looms before us.

There is a wonderful story about President Eisenhower which circulated among my IBM friends back in the early 1980s. Ike had commissioned an early supercomputer for the Pentagon. When completed, an entire section of one subterranean floor was devoted to the machines. A master control station was set up behind impenetrable glass walls. According to legend, the President came to see his creation and asked to be alone with it for a minute. He typed out this question, "Is there a God?" and the computers all started flashing and whirring. After several minutes, a single card spits out of its' slot toward Eisenhower. It said, "There is now."

Bill Moyers queried renowned author, historian, and professor, Joseph Campbell during a 1988 PBS documentary called "The Power of Myth." concerning computers and the role they might play in the future. Campbell looked over at his computer screen and said: "To me, that machine is almost alive. I could mythologize that damn thing." but went on to say, "The first time anybody made a tool, I mean, taking a stone and chipping it so that you can handle it, that’s the beginning of a machine. It’s turning outer nature into your service. But then there comes a time when it begins to dictate to you." It seems that Joseph Campbell had already foreseen thirty years ago what might happen in a computer age. But there is no reason to rage against the machine. With the Eisenhower story and Campbell's warning in mind, what we must take charge of is the extent to which we allow the digital world to dictate our daily life.

Trying to find a good perspective of the digital era involves looking at some of the negative and positive aspects of its landscape as we experience it today. This is an early stage of technological development really. We have a better chance to guide and adapt now than if we wait very much longer. I am reminded of the popular modern myth "Game of Thrones" which just finished its' final season on HBO. Despite a chorus of voices that warned "Winter is coming" everyone procrastinated. Old ways of dealing with conflicts, security, and enemy threat persisted even when the almost invulnerable White Walkers were in plain sight and civilization seemed doomed. Myths like this one have the power of validating or maintaining a society while providing a path forward (as Campbell tells us). Now is the time for action as we master our digital and recover the real world.

This is the direction we will take over the next four weeks together. Hopefully, our eyes will be opened a bit and we will be able to better navigate the seas ahead without too much upheaval. Follow the content link on each of the 'concerns and celebrations' below as you experience one of the many wonders of the digital age. Instant information.

Four Areas of Concern
There are plenty of areas in which we can focus our concerns about modern digital life. These are four which stand out as ones deserving of our attention:

Digital Addiction/Electronic Screen Syndrome
Personal Privacy and Security/Real Stranger Danger
Global Cyber Crime/Hacking our Future
Physical and Mental Health/Soft Brains and Bodies

Four Areas of Celebration
It's a small world after all. Our digital world has connected us in ways we could have never imagined. People who are not like 'us' become potential friends as we forge into this new frontier. Here are four of many reasons to celebrate our screens.