Powers, a former staff writer for the Washington Post, delves into several areas. He looks at past technological revolutions as far back as Guttenberg and the printing press and how all technological advances were criticized for pushing forth too much change. Just as we are being warned about the all-consuming addiction of social media, Powers reminds us of the warnings that came with the development of radio and TV and how with each new thing, humans adapted. He also looks at how this new wave of change is taking so much more out of our day and intruding on time that we used to spend with ourselves.
However, we may not be able to help it. Research done recently supports the theory that the new stimuli cause a reaction in our brain that produces a little high. So if you remember how excited Meg Ryan’s character got when she heard those little words “You’ve got mail,” her response may be grounded in fact. Scientists have discovered that we get a little shot of dopamine every time one of our technological tethers tells us someone wants our attention.
But, hard-wired or not, the revolution is cutting into time we would normally take to think and recharge. Powers is sometimes redundant in his warnings, repeating over and over how the over-connectedness needs to be managed. Fortunately, he does present strategies we can use to combat the “techno bind” we find ourselves in today.
Hamlet’s Blackberry is an interesting read. The book puts this new frontier in proper historical context and gives those who are interested ideas on how to manage the constant demand the new technologies place on our time.
