Being human while engaging in technology
I’m just going to say it: I think we are influenced more by our technology than we are aware, and it’s not for the better. Rather than ruling our technology, our technology often rules us.
I realize “those are fightin’ words.”
Several years ago, I led a semester-long colloquium for honors program students where we studied technology and its influence on culture and our lives. We read several books (depending on the semester) which included:
Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology by Eric Brende
The Winter of Our Disconnect: How Three Totally Wired Teenagers (and a Mother Who Slept with her iPhone) Pulled the Plug on Their Technology and Live to Tell the Tale by Susan Maushart
The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr (I reference the 2010 version although there is a 2020 update).
Better Off and Winter of Our Disconnect were personal stories shared by each author and supplemented by research and reflection. The writer of Better Off chose to live for a year among an Amish community, completely disconnected from technology and, as a result, isolated from the world beyond the immediate community. Susan Maushart had a different approach. She created rules for her home and family, which required the use of technology to be used outside the home (at work or school), preserving the home as a place for technological disconnection and interpersonal connection.
Note: In each of these cases, “technology” must be defined. It could be “something that plugs into the wall” or include “anything with an engine.” The wheel is a type of technology, but none of the authors rejected the wheel. Eric Brende eliminated a much broader spectrum of technologies, while Susan Maushart eliminated the use of iPhones, video games, television, and computers from her home. They could be used elsewhere.
When my college students read these books, their instinct or default response was to find these examples extreme. In some ways, I agree, especially in the case of Eric Brende. Selling your belongings and learning to live as the Amish do is not a typical life decision. But does that mean we are unable to glean from his experience? I hope not. We even hosted Eric Brende on campus and heard his story in person. The students were interested and respectful, but they seemed to have a tough time translating his experience into something they could identify with in a practical sense.
I found Susan Maushart’s story incredibly compelling. As an academician, Maushart seamlessly combined her family’s experience, her observation, and scholarly research related to the topic. The transformations experienced by each of her children were surprising (I’m trying not have any spoilers here!), and I could not help but ponder them. Consider this insight:
“The information paradox – the more data we have, the stupider we become – has a social corollary, too: that the more frantically we connect, one to another, the more disconnected our relationships become...we live in an age...where up to a quarter of us say we have no close confidante, where we are less likely than ever before to socialize with friends or family, where our social skills and even our capacity to experience empathy are undergoing documentable erosion.” (p. 185)
There is a lot there, isn’t there? Let us look at this point about empathy a little closer.
In The Shallows, Nicholas Carr is motivated by his personal experience, but the book focuses on brain research around using technology versus reading a book. He describes the part of the brain used while surfing the internet or social media, as well as the part of the brain activated through reading and deep thinking. The two different parts are responsible for different emotions and actions. When we experience deep thinking (often through reading), we activate the part of the brain linked to empathy and compassion.
Carr states, “It’s not only deep thinking that requires a calm, attentive mind. It’s also empathy and compassion” (p. 220). He describes an experiment by the director of USC’s Brain and Creativity Institute and shares their findings: “The experiment, say the scholars, indicates that the more distracted we become, the less able we are to experience the subtlest, most distinctively human forms of empathy, compassion, and other emotions” (p. 221).
In other words, our technology usage is causing us to be more distracted, less able to focus and engage in deep thinking, and as a result, undermining the emotional capacity of empathy and compassion unique to humans. We are, in a sense, becoming more like the machines we are using.
I do not believe it is a coincidence that while we are spending increasingly more time engaged in technology, we are simultaneously spending less time reading, reflecting, and thinking deeply. No wonder we are witnessing the rise of a civilization becoming less civilized (less human, in a sense) – unwilling (or unable?) to listen, empathize, demonstrate compassion, and control our emotions.
By and large, my students rejected Carr’s conclusion, finding it an overreaction to the research discussed. Admittedly, this was 8-12 years ago, and they may have a different response today. Yet when I look around at the broader society – watching people engaged on their phones as if they were a physical extension of their arm, I become more convinced the research and experiences shared by Brende, Maushart, and Carr deserve our consideration.
Where am I going with all this?
I have mentioned several times – leaders cannot manage others effectively until they learn to manage themselves. Self-management skills are essential for transformative leadership, and whether we govern technology or are governed by it is a distinction worthy of our attention.
With that in mind, here are a few practices to consider.
Engage in honest self-reflection. Ponder questions such as: How much time do I spend engaged in technology? What benefits do I receive from that time? How would I spend my time if I were to reduce that engagement? What activities or hobbies do I engage in less frequently now compared to 5 years ago? What are my beliefs about technology?
Read the literature. The books I mentioned are several years old (although there is a revised 2020 version of The Shallows). Find books that share the stories of others who have intentionally retreated from technology (either temporarily or permanently). Challenge yourself with books that approach the subject from a perspective contrary to your own – or simply one that will challenge your current thinking.
Implement a technology fast. Intentionally choosing to disengage from technology is a fantastic way to determine whether you are addicted to it (or simply relying on it more than you realize or intend). If the very thought of a fast causes a bit of anxiety, I think you may have your answer! You do not need to move to an Amish community and reject most modern inventions. You can start with fasting for an hour or two a day. You can create some boundaries by deleting apps from your phone. You can choose to start and end your day with 30 minutes of technology-free time. You can choose people over technology and put down your phone at restaurants, in drive-throughs, and at the checkout counter. Try not multi-tasking technologies and using only one at a time. There are countless potential approaches. I have engaged in technology fasts, and each one has been enlightening.
Engage your community of family and friends. I encourage you to discuss your observations with others. Although I am sure some will offer a bit of pushback, I believe there is an increasing awareness that technology is linked to some negative emotions and thought patterns. Agree to some fasting rules with a friend, or at least share your fasting rules with those around you and build a support system.
The goal is not the elimination of technology. The goal is to rule the technologies we invite into our lives and not be ruled by them.
I would love to help you take the next step in your self-management and leadership skills. Reach out to ABL Wise Consulting today.
pc: Robynne Hu via Unsplash
