Is It Still An Addiction If It's Good For You?
from the just-wondering... dept
We've mocked the various researchers who like to call just about every new popular technology an addiction, when there's no real evidence that there are any dependency issues involved. As we've said, these researchers are using the emotional reaction people have to the word "addiction," associating it with chemical dependencies and dangerous and damaging activities. However, what if it turns out that the "addiction" is actually good for you? More than a few times, researchers have warned about the problems of email addiction and referred to portable Blackberry devices as "Crackberries" to play up the supposed addiction. Earlier this week we even wrote about researchers who warned such addictions could lead to legal liabilities for companies who provide their employees Blackberries. Of course, new research today shows that 77% of people with such devices found that they enhanced their work-life balance, rather than impeded it. So, we have to ask, is it still proper to use the emotionally-charged term "addiction" when the net results are most likely to be beneficial? As people have pointed out in the past, we're all "addicted" to things like air and water, but that's not a bad thing. Is the same true of mobile email?
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
business execs
Replace people with business execs. America is "addicted" to working. If you doubt me I can campare it with Europe and Egypt. Business execs will take their laptop on vacation so they can get some work done. Of course a device that lets them e-mail anywhere would improve their life by their terms, but what about their family?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: business execs
Who argues against it? Utopians who push "Work/Life Balance" because "Laziness" still has some stigma. They do not see Europe as a morass-bound socialist nightmare that must import workers because the people are too lazy to even replace themselves by procreation.
Work hard, be happy, enjoy the results and you are a walking insult to those who yearn for the 365 day per year vacation from life.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: business execs
Their GDP per capita is essentially the same as the US. In far fewer hours worked per week.
So, could we do more in less time? How much time do we spend "looking busy" because of our stupid Puritanical obsession with loving hard work?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
LOL at the comparison
If you add the weight of the moon to New Jersey, New Jersey weighs more than Europe, India and Asia combined. So what.
Statistical gymnastics aside, the GDP of France is appalling, and they know it. Thus their contempt for productivity.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: LOL at the comparison
Health care accounts for 1/7th of the US economy. It takes a much smaller slice to make up the difference.
If you'd rather, remove the portion of the US economy that is devoted to health care service delivery. You end up with the same result.
France has a more efficient economy.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: business execs
Can we agree that people "rely too much" on CRAPberries, and that its frequently counter-productive.
I work with several morons who "rely" on a Crapberry and you know what? The device makes those people LESS efficient - they tend to respond to each email two times, or worse they overlook an important task that requires additional follow up.
Apart from some Network Administrators who actually need a large volume of text-based messages, most business execs would be better served to just go to lunch. Enjoy lunch for an hour. Leave off the email until they're back in the office. It's okay, really, things will continue.
It's absolutely pointless to send me an email that says 'I'll reply in detail when I get back in the office.'
Save it.
How about you just reply when you get back in the office? I know that would be too simple, but that way I won't have to send you a reminder email in 2 days.
I can't be the only one working with people who have no business spending so much time on their mobile email devices! ...and if they take my stapler, then I'll set the building on fire.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
By definition, addiction's bad
Rough definition: Addictive behaviors, substances, relationships, etc involve loss of control. They negatively affecting legal, family, financial, work/school, and/or social areas of life - and the user cannot stop or control it, despite repeated efforts to do so.
Otherwise it's not addiction. Rather than enhance jobs, etc., true addictive problems has a cost of people. They are - no-kidding - bad news for anyone.
If it's really meets the definition of an addictive behavior, Iit's always problematic. I do this professionally for a living. I ought to know.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: By definition, addiction's bad
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: By definition, addiction's bad
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Useless comments
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Hooked and loving it.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Out of context...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
addiction used to be funny
now the useage has become commonplace and somewhere along the line, people started taking it seriously.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Addiction
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Buy the Company Line
Bear in mind that the "new research" was conducted, not by an impartial party or a party with particular expertise in the nature of addictions or mental health, sociologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, or doctors, but by an Executive Staffing company, which would tend to bias both the research methodology and the results of said research. It's sort of like having a Cosmetic Surgery school do research on whether or not Cosmetic Surgery is necessary and relying on them to only interview Cosmetic Surgeons. Your answer is predetermined. I'm actually surprised that this "research" didn't come up with "90%" rather than "77%".
How can one say that the US's current work habits are not addictive when stress related illnesses are on the rise (although not as deadly, as the Drug Industry has risen to the challenge by providing ever better means of allaying the symptoms).
#1: Electronic communications, especially text messages, are neither as effective nor as expressive as a phone call, and a phone call isn't as good as face-to-face conversation. Meanings and intonations become lost in the translation, especially when we try to compress the language with abbreviations, acronyms, and l33t 5p3ak. They are "faster", most of the time, but faster is not always better.
#2: Corporations / Employers have a vested interest in saddling their employees with these devices. And Employees are so infatuated with the status of having them, and of having these wonderful toys to show off, that they allow it. And suddenly they are 24 hour a day slaves compensated only for 8, and GRATEFUL for it!
#3: Take a look at the recent statistical research on Cell Phone use and Auto and Industrial accidents. Or the recent research showing that cell phone use while driving is a GREATER impairment than heavy drinking. Work/Life balance isn't in balance when you've broadsided a mini-van and killed someone, or run a red light and end up in the hospital on traction. But, you can always use your Crackberry from the hospital bed, or your cell phone from the cell block i guess.
We ARE addicted to our technology. Every new fangled gadget or gew-gaw that comes out, we have to have. It's a status thing, rather than a means to a more effective working environment or a better "work/life" balance.
One of the owners of the company I work for has over 4 GB of e-mail and has to have a new laptop every month. He brags to customers, vendors, and friends about how he's got so much e-mail we're going to have to get a mail server just for him. He shows off his laptop, brags about how it's a "double-crow" (yes, double-crow, not dual core) and has 4 mega-bits of ram. 90% of the e-mail he has stored is spam, junk mail, and chain letters. He can't make a pivot table in excel, or change a formula. He's on his cell phone so much they may have to surgically remove it from his ear. Has technology made him more effective? NO. It just makes him feel more important, it's an ego boost.
(BTW, his Nephew was in a car accident 3 weeks ago. He was on his cell phone with his uncle and failed to see a red light. Car totaled, shattered both wrists and on leg. His wife and newborne son were in the car with him and miraculously escaped injury. Good work/life balancing there, huh?)
Their are specific individual circumstances, positions and people who ARE more effective when provided with omnipresent connectivity. Maybe 1/2% of the current total. But, by and large, it's all about status and ego.
Where are the Luddites when we really need them?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Buy the Company Line
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Buy the Company Line
It unintelligence and lack of knowledge on the matter of this technology. If more people were properly educated on the moderate use of this technology, there wouldn't be any "addiction" stigma placed with it.
My father works for a company that installs and services dairy farm equipment in the Central Pennsylvania area. Recently, he mentioned the company having replaced a co-worker's laptop PC, but failed to provide my father with one, despite my father having been employed there for over 5 years. This is a minor greivance, however. My father has been more than capable of doing his job just as efficiently (if not more-so) as his co-workers.
So, more people meed to realize that these devices are tools. Just as much as any legal pad and pen.
(Also, I must ask. OMG!???!! WHY DO YOU USE SO MANY QUESTION MARKS???! Rather than make any emphasis, it makes you look like a 12-year-old script kiddie.)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
You say "Addiction", I say shut up.
When did the idea of addiction become such a bad thing with disregard for whatever may be the focus of the addiction?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
trade-offs abound (nothing new, here)
What is addiction? What is work/life balance?
Something tells me that my definitions will differ from yours today. We may agree tomorrow, and whether both or only one of us has shifted his/her perspective--or whether the shift is due to consideration or just that "something happened"--the agreement is neither tangible, nor is it permanent.
It is my opinion that the world has already changed wrt DRM, and that all of this discussion is merely us catching up. See also TERRORISM, GLOBALIZATION, &c
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
really...
another thought...are we arguing semantics to justify our behavior or condemn the study? Yeah I think all the tech and work "addictions" are horrible. it's because we find our entire identity in our paycheck. americans work too many hours but i'm not sure about how hard we (myself included) work.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Working for what
http://freespace.virgin.net/sarah.peter.nelson/pages/busybee.html
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Buy the Company Line
Nothing you are saying proves that anyone is addicted to anything. Technology links the globe, and provides an even faster paced environment than before.
Let's face it, over the millennia, there have always been assholes and idiots like your boss which you mentioned above.
There have always been workaholics. Yes, Yes, that's right, there were workaholics before the computer was even invented.
So let's just stop placing blame on technology, addiction, or anything else for that matter. People are people. There are idiots, there are assholes, there are pricks, there are workaholics, etc, etc, etc.
This is all part of society. It is the mere integration of this technology into society which gives newscasters and reporters and analysts things to keep themselves busy. Want a great example?? Here is ANOTHER analyst that is a complete idiot:
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20060824/190154.shtml
That's right. Pacman is a dangerous game to play. Just like cell phones are dangerous to have. Maybe it's those microwave rays that are affecting the brainwaves of people, causing them to become insane workaholics. Yeah.... Maybe.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Buy the Company Line
Not EVERYONE who uses blackberry's and cell phones is addicted. Just as not all persons who are given morphine for pain become addicted, and not everyone who has indulged in other drugs has become addicted.
There are people who have become addicted to technology. When someone becomes increasingly nervous and agittated, sometimes to the point of violence, when their mobile communications device does not have signal or the battery runs dead, thats addiction baby. Especially at 9:30 PM and they admit that they aren't really expecting a call or e-mail. And don't say it doesn't happen. I've seen it.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Buy the Company Line
I agree that there is always an extreme case. But there are extremes for every situation.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Techdirt Inspiration
Here is a comic strip inspired by this piece.
Have a great weekend!
All the best
Tom
[ link to this | view in chronology ]