Balance Is Key

            Hamlet’s Blackberry by William Powers is an innovation.  It is a book that seems to be opening eyes about Internet and technology addiction.  It is evident that the majority of our generation is faced with this addiction, it isn’t necessarily a bad addiction but it is an addiction that can be fixed.

            William Powers said one statement that was spot on in my mind, “It’s a wonderful medium, we can do so much with it but if you use it to excess, I found and other people are finding you wind up in a less happy place.”  This statement says it all, the overuse and the indulgence in the Internet is actually hurting us but we don’t even realize it.  There is only one cure to this issue and the cure is balance.  William Powers made it clear that he had a problem but fixed it with a simple solution.  His family has made an “Internet Sabbath” where they shut off their Internet in their household every weekend.  This allows them to have face-to-face conversations and to really enjoy being around each other.  He said that for the first couple of weeks his family went through withdrawal but after a while it became easy and a necessity. 

            Powers said that devices are making us less efficient at the office.  This statement is very true for some people.  Some people use the Internet and technology to multitask and do more than one project at once.  This in turn actually backfires, people who do this normally get overwhelmed and often don’t finish the projects they started.  In this case the Internet turns on you and becomes a distraction.  I agree with this because this doesn’t just involve business or being in the office but also with schoolwork.  The Internet often sidetracks me and technologies and it takes me longer to complete tasks.  I find that when I try to multitask with homework or do more than one at a time I end up not finishing them.  I find myself being more productive when the Internet is not involved. 

            Katie Couric read some facts out: 59 percent of people check their email while going to the bathroom and 6 percent of people interrupt sex to check their email or text.  This supports Powers arguments that people are truly addicted to the Internet.  If you can’t wait a minute to check your email or phone there is an issue but an issue that can be fixed. 

            There is actually therapy and counseling courses you can take to cure your addiction to the Internet.  Dr. Kimberly Young has been studying cyber addiction since 1994 and has seen the affects on children and families.  Her program is called Digital Detox Rehab, which has many techniques.  With her rehab she sees her patients on a weekly bases and many times it involves families.  To learn more about the therapy you can go to http://www.netaddiction.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=70&Itemid=93.

            William Powers had many interesting and very accurate arguments that I strongly believe are true.  Information given directly to us by technology and by the Internet is now overwhelming our generation; we find ourselves skimming over the surface of the information instead of absorbing the most important things.  The good news about this issue is that it is an easy fix.  William Powers is a very intelligent man and I agree with his arguments and I am personally going to limit how much I use the Internet.