By Anonymous CowardPosted Friday 22nd February 2008 21:22 GMT
Title says it all - the most intelligent person at Northampton University is a caretaker, I'm not sure anyone there is even qualified to make such comments.
Of course, there's undoubtedly truth in it - anything can be an addiction, that's purely down to the individuals involved. I'm certainly a self confessed addict of technology and I'm not ashamed of it :D
By JackPosted Saturday 23rd February 2008 13:03 GMT
This looks to me like someone decided to slap a new name on Internet Addiction, that scary thing that psychologists were warning us about back in the late 90's, back when the 'Net was new and different.
Back then I looked at their figures for how much time you were supposed to have to average on the internet per-week to make you "addicted", and found that it was generally *less* time than most people spent watching TV each week, yet somehow no one ever seemed to talk about Television Addiction.
I suspect that in this case, if you asked a number of those questions but had them related to television, and how many people interrupt their social time and personal conversations to watch a show or game on the TV, and how much total time the spend in front of the tube they'd have to claim that most people are Television Addicted.
Paris, because her presence on the tube makes a good antidote for Television Addiction.
By Anonymous CowardPosted Sunday 24th February 2008 07:50 GMT
"the explosion of information technologies over the last 20 years has happened without much scrutiny of the effects on people."
Too bad he can't include MTV - i.e. 27 years ago when video killed the radio star. That would've supplied the necessary perspective for the "oh yeah" epiphany.
"In my mind and in my car, we can't rewind: we've gone too far."
By Brett BrennanPosted Sunday 24th February 2008 10:57 GMT
How about *READING* "addiction": spending your "down" time reading books? Or the aforementioned Television "addiction"? Or, even worse, our "addiction" to work - 40+ hours a week in behavior that has been "proven" to be as detrimental to our health as alcohol abuse?
I guess it all comes down to what one group of people consider "balanced" behavior versus another group. Is reading books every evening instead of watching television for an "addictive" amount of time considered abnormal? Is working at a skill you really enjoy - and often getting paid for it - considered an "addiction"?
Usually an "addiction" is defined as a behavior that adversely affects your life; that is, a behavior that causes physiological, psychological or financial damage to you and your family or close associates. "Traditional" addictions like alcohol, drugs or gambling have clearly identifiable symptoms and consequences. However, "substitution" of one behavior for another that does NOT have adverse life impacts, or at least no worse than the replaced "acceptable" behavior, shouldn't qualify as an addiction - unless they start having the same impact to your life as one of the "traditional" addictive behaviors.
So substituting computer or technology use for time that would be spent reading, watching television, playing chess, watching a movie are NOT addiction: they are simply "life-style choices" that technology makes available today.
And the real biggie - work "addiction" - is actually encouraged, as it decreases the cost of productivity...at the expense of both quality of life and physiological health.
Tell you what: I won't consider it an "addiction" until the police set up checkpoints for "excessive work behavior" late at night and haul me off to a Caribbean resort until I "learn my lesson" and pay my leisure debt to Society...
By storng.bare.duridPosted Sunday 24th February 2008 14:34 GMT
... to cope with the technology and society we have today.
How long were we hunter gatherers before the agricultural revolution, rise of cities and nations, industry and now this?
Mark my words. This is mankind's gravest weakness.
We are intelligent. We make discoveries, we can do the science. But... we are not ... wise....
We are still primitive in many ways. We have instincts. Our instincts and emotions beget us thoughts. But our thoughts seldom control our instincts and emotions.
By David WiernickiPosted Sunday 24th February 2008 15:48 GMT
...for instance, I am completely addicted to housing. Whenever I don't have housing, I feel nervous and worry about when I can get housing next. I spend at least two-thirds of my time in housing. Sometimes, if the weather is bad, I don't want to leave my housing at all.
A large proportion of my income goes directly to housing, and if push comes to shove, I'll pay for housing before food.
It's about time somebody did something about the housing problem! Millions of lives are at stake! When will we rid the world of the scourge of housing??
By Grae StaffordPosted Sunday 24th February 2008 19:05 GMT
My names Grae,
I have a blackberry and an all inclusive data plan.
Let me get this straight this is an addiction that except in its worst case scenario will it cause absolutely no health problems. At all. NONE!!! Damn yeah we should ban it!!
So now I cant smoke, drink or use my Blackberry at work. Urrrr what am I supposed to do?
Paris because very soon there wont be any IT so she wont be confused.
Look What It's Done to Idiot Apple Drones .... Lowers IQ #
By Webster PhreakyPosted Monday 25th February 2008 05:37 GMT
Only someone with a lowered IQ would over-pay for Me Too PC Clone technology, a $2600 Notebook 'Air' with less features than a PDA and a 2G cell phone that's an over glamorized iPud.
See Science DOES prove this Hypothesis! Buying crApple = delusional Addictions.
Comments on: Scientist warns against technology addiction
No! Really! #
By dervheid Posted Friday 22nd February 2008 15:23 GMT
Scientist? Northampton "uni"? #
By Anonymous Coward Posted Friday 22nd February 2008 21:22 GMT
Disappointing... #
By KenBW2 Posted Friday 22nd February 2008 21:33 GMT
Quick ... #
By Anonymous Coward Posted Saturday 23rd February 2008 10:28 GMT
Nudist warns against clothes addiction #
By Mycho Posted Saturday 23rd February 2008 10:45 GMT
word processor? #
By Anonymous Coward Posted Saturday 23rd February 2008 10:50 GMT
Uhh. #
By Anonymous Coward Posted Saturday 23rd February 2008 10:54 GMT
Techno addict? #
By Keith T Posted Saturday 23rd February 2008 11:43 GMT
Did anyone else? #
By Warren Posted Saturday 23rd February 2008 12:24 GMT
What about Television Addiction? #
By Jack Posted Saturday 23rd February 2008 13:03 GMT
Marx, anyone? #
By Anonymous Coward Posted Saturday 23rd February 2008 16:33 GMT
And the Survey Title is... #
By Steven Knox Posted Saturday 23rd February 2008 16:46 GMT
RE; disapointing #
By DR Posted Saturday 23rd February 2008 21:15 GMT
Addiction? What? #
By Colin Caison Posted Sunday 24th February 2008 04:51 GMT
Damn kids, get off my lawn! #
By Anonymous Coward Posted Sunday 24th February 2008 07:50 GMT
If it did say how addicted you were #
By Mycho Posted Sunday 24th February 2008 10:47 GMT
What about *ACCEPTABLE* addictions? #
By Brett Brennan Posted Sunday 24th February 2008 10:57 GMT
How to tell if you are addicted... #
By Anonymous Coward Posted Sunday 24th February 2008 14:23 GMT
We are evolving to slowly... #
By storng.bare.durid Posted Sunday 24th February 2008 14:34 GMT
Many things can be addicting... #
By David Wiernicki Posted Sunday 24th February 2008 15:48 GMT
Denial? #
By Gareth Posted Sunday 24th February 2008 17:26 GMT
Hello #
By Grae Stafford Posted Sunday 24th February 2008 19:05 GMT
Look What It's Done to Idiot Apple Drones .... Lowers IQ #
By Webster Phreaky Posted Monday 25th February 2008 05:37 GMT
Hi I'm john and I'm addicted to oxygen #
By John Paul McAuley Posted Monday 25th February 2008 06:56 GMT
74 questions? #
By Anonymous Coward Posted Monday 3rd March 2008 08:14 GMT