Presentation: Digital Distraction – Optimizing Human-ness

In a time when we are constantly connected yet isolated, searching for meaning yet distracted from our task, it becomes increasingly important to consciously cultivate an awareness of how our use of technology is affecting us.

Expectations of speed, availability, and increased output are impacting our ability to truly innovate. As our expectations require us to act increasingly machine-like (analytical, logical, information-centered), our abilities to empathize, play, understand nuance, create beauty, and synthesize the big picture are at risk of being lost.

We’ll explore ways of remaining conscious to this effect, and liberating ourselves from the poor inner habits our devices encourage.

Resources

Books

• A Whole New Mind, Daniel Pink
• Devices of the Soul, Scott Talbott
• The Nature Principle, Richard Louv
• Bit Literacy, Mark Hurst
• The Shallows: How the Internet is Changing the Way We Think, Read and Remember, Nicholas Carr

Video

• TED Talks: We Are All Cyborgs Now – Amber Case
• On being human: The Greatest Speech Ever Made – Charlie Chaplan
• On listening to our intuition: Shut Up and Dream – Ann Hill

Articles

• NY Times: Growing Up Digital, Wired for Distraction
• Fast Company: I Can’t Get My Work Done: A New Industry Survey Looks At Workplace Distractions
• Frontiers in Science: On-line social interactions and executive functions