The Internet Unplugged

Article on The Hindu dated 22 Jan 2012

With the increasing lure of the Internet, think of the psychological and sociological implications of 24/7 connectivity.

The seductive pull of digital devices is evident in our round-the-clock dependence on them. Mobiles beep us out of sleep. Checking e-mail is as habitual as brushing teeth. Digital calendars flash the day's appointments. We listen to the radio on our mobiles, watch TV on the computer and connect with friends through social networking sites. It is not unusual for siblings to text each within the same house or for parents to check Facebook updates to stay abreast of their children's doings.

In 2009, American children between the ages of two and 11 were spending around 11 hours a week online, while young adults were clocking around 19 hours. In India too, As connectivity expands, we must consider the psychological and sociological implications of being tethered to these devices. 24/7 connectivity is shaping our thinking, reading and interactions with each other. Without a doubt, the Net is a wonderful repository of information. We can verify facts, check multiple sources, connect with people, compare opinions and share information.

The democratic access to information that the Net provides is indeed its most potent feature. However, information does not automatically translate into knowledge unless it is analysed and evaluated. Ironically, the Net, by way of its design, does not promote focused thinking, deep analysis or critical reflection; the tools of mind that are essential for reaping its benefits.

No sustained focus

Adults complain that children nowadays don't read books. Even grown-ups are losing the ability to maintain sustained focus on a book as reading on a screen is different in sensory and psychological ways. When we read on the Net, we are led astray by hyperlinks and often only remember the bare essence. In contrast, traditional book perusal allows us to pause and ponder. Psychologist Maryanne Wolf, writes that the act of book reading is “enriched as much by the unpredictable indirections of the reader's inferences and thoughts as by the direct message to the eye from the text.” During screen reading, we tend to follow preset hyperlinks instead of forging our own associations.

A study by two Canadian researchers found that people's comprehension of a short story was better when they read it in print form as opposed to a “Web version”. Even if we ignore hyperlinks, we continually have to make split-second decisions to disregard them. Moreover, design consultant Jakob Nielsen found that people read only around 18 per cent of a Web page. ‘Skimming' and ‘scanning' describe the act of gleaning information on the web. According to author Nicholas Carr, e-books provide “all the distractions of the networked computer,” thereby destroying the “linearity of the printed book” and the “calm attentiveness it encourages in readers.”

Digital devices also encourage us to flit from task to task and erode our patience. Even as we work, e-mail updates, news flashes, SMS alerts and download reminders vie for our limited attention. Slow Internet connections frustrate us. People text each other, expecting a response in minutes. As we get accustomed to the instant gratification of digital devices, we grow more intolerant of pauses and fill our lives with trivial titbits, seldom indulging in self-reflection.

Ironically, as technology brings us ever so close virtually, real distances between people are growing. For many youngsters, social networking sites are the main forum of interaction. As they spend more time online, they have less time for actual interactions, which, in turn, makes them more isolated. In a self-perpetuating cycle, they turn again to the online world to quell their loneliness.

When we meet in person, we exchange a lot of information through our facial expressions, body language and tone of voice. Many a time, human beings convey their intent nonverbally. As our children increasingly replace face-to-face exchanges with online ones, we will gradually lose our ability to discern and interpret subtle and more nuanced aspects of human interaction.

When adults first get on to social networking sites, they experience an initial burst of euphoria as they discover long forgotten friends. However, this rush of excitement soon subsides as most long lost friends typically don't connect beyond superficial exchanges. As MIT professor, Sherry Turkle writes, “We don't count on cyber friends to come by if we are ill, to celebrate our children's successes, or help us mourn the death of our parents.” She warns that when friends become ‘fans,' we depersonalise our interactions by treating all our family, friends and acquaintances as a single unit. The quintessence of friendship is to be known and treated as an individual; social networking sites redefine this very human need.

Ranking systems

The online world also perpetuates ranking systems. Search engines rank sites based on the number of links, visitors, the duration of each visit etc. Likewise, social networking sites advertise the number of friends a person has, the number of people who like a post or agree with a person's views. Thus, hierarchies that didn't exist suddenly materialise. In the pre-Internet days, we also had popular and not so popular kids at school. But, unlike today, a person's popularity was not indexed for everyone to see. Moreover, most online ranking systems are based on numerical indices and more does not always mean better. By simplifying issues into binary choices of ‘like' or ‘dislike', ‘agree' or ‘ disagree', we engage less in sophisticated thinking.

By no means should we avoid using digital devices. Their benefits definitely outweigh their drawbacks. However, we need to ensure that we retain essentially human qualities like reflective thinking and empathising. Thus, parents and educators should engage in and encourage contemplation and old-fashioned communication. As technology writer Edward Tenner aptly writes, “It would be a shame if brilliant technology were to end up threatening the kind of intellect that produced it.”

The author ARUNA SANKARANARAYANAN is Director, PRAYATNA

Email: arunasankara@gmail.com