Pope warns against being ‘too attached to the computer’

[meltzerboy]

Attention span is the amount of concentrated time on a task without becoming distracted. Most educators and psychologists agree that the ability to focus attention on a task is crucial for the achievement of one’s goals. It’s no surprise attention spans have been decreasing over the past decade with the increase in external stimulation.

The average attention span in 2015 - 8.25 seconds
The average attention span in 2000 - 12 seconds
The average attention span of a gold fish - 9 seconds
Percent of teens who forget major details of close friends and relatives - 25%
Percent of people who forget their own birthdays from time to time - 7%
Average number of times per hour an office worker checks their email inbox - 30
Average length watched of a single internet video - 2.7 minutes

This is so true and it represents one of the down sides of technology.

P.S. Most viewers were probably not able to read through your entire post.

 

[FollowChrist34]

Attention span is the amount of concentrated time on a task without becoming distracted. Most educators and psychologists agree that the ability to focus attention on a task is crucial for the achievement of one’s goals. It’s no surprise attention spans have been decreasing over the past decade with the increase in external stimulation.

The average attention span in 2015 - 8.25 seconds
The average attention span in 2000 - 12 seconds
The average attention span of a gold fish - 9 seconds
Percent of teens who forget major details of close friends and relatives - 25%
Percent of people who forget their own birthdays from time to time - 7%
Average number of times per hour an office worker checks their email inbox - 30
Average length watched of a single internet video - 2.7 minutes

That’s funny - I always thought my gold fish were pretty alert and responsive - I was right. Have you noticed that dull, almost drugged expression on people’s faces when they look up from the phone - gaze around a little. Scares me. Something bad is going on here. Whenever I sit at the computer (not related to work) I set a limit of less than two hours. I do go over that sometimes or just go back on later in the day. I always feel worse for it too. Sometimes I will finally get outside and feel such disappointment that I wasted the day. The internet gets like a drug or alcohol - same detrimental effects. You miss so much beauty and joy in life, day by day, hour by hour. Think of it like grapes (normal brain/heart) vs. raisins (brain/heart on nonstop internet).

I have a very high tech cousin who once told me that books were passe because people don’t have the attention spans to read them anymore. He’s fine with that.

 

[Bruised_Reed]

That’s funny - I always thought my gold fish were pretty alert and responsive - I was right. Have you noticed that dull, almost drugged expression on people’s faces when they look up from the phone - gaze around a little.

I have the same experience when I’m immersed in a book I’m reading. I feel a little out of it as I return from whatever place I was in the book.

Scares me. Something bad is going on here. Whenever I sit at the computer (not related to work) I set a limit of less than two hours. I do go over that sometimes or just go back on later in the day. I always feel worse for it too. Sometimes I will finally get outside and feel such disappointment that I wasted the day. The internet gets like a drug or alcohol - same detrimental effects. You miss so much beauty and joy in life, day by day, hour by hour. Think of it like grapes (normal brain/heart) vs. raisins (brain/heart on nonstop internet).

That’s the great thing about wireless and wi-fi: we can go outside with our computers and other devices.

I have a very high tech cousin who once told me that books were passe because people don’t have the attention spans to read them anymore. He’s fine with that.

Your cousin must not hang with many serious readers. Readers haven’t stopped reading and most still prefer paper books over kindle and other e-readers. I like the advantage having several titles to choose from when I’m on the go and it’s easier to read after I turn out the light but still prefer having a book in hand and not relying on the battery.

 

[FollowChrist34]

I have the same experience when I’m immersed in a book I’m reading. I feel a little out of it as I return from whatever place I was in the book.

Agreed, especially when you’ve been reading for a couple of hours, completely into it. (Proust has a great passage on this - sitting in his garden at Combray as a kid and then going into dinner) But I think your brain is in a different place than when you are surfing the Internet, reading email, whatever. Your perception of life (and humanity) is being deepened and enriched by the use of your mind and imagination, emotions, not just distracted in a fast paced, superficial way. More like prayer or just deep thought about something when it’s quiet. Reflection, that’s it.

Your cousin must not hang with many serious readers. Readers haven’t stopped reading and most still prefer paper books over kindle and other e-readers. I like the advantage having several titles to choose from when I’m on the go and it’s easier to read after I turn out the light but still prefer having a book in hand and not relying on the battery.

No, he doesn’t, except for me. I’ve no doubt he was trying to push my buttons, but all the same he still believes it - his kids aren’t great readers. I am a reader and I do prefer hard copy - can’t stand kindle. And agreed - yes, you can read anywhere - middle of the woods, backyard, by the lake, sea. Anywhere. (am back into Jane Austen right now - Sense & Sensibility; Persuasion; Mansfield Park - pure delight; haven’t read any of those in a while now so they are fresh)