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Hi-tech is turning us all into time wasters


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Professor Joseph Ferrari of DePaul University in Chicago says that one in five of us now suffer from "chronic procrastination", which leads to depression, and anxiety.

"The subject is seen as joke,' he says, 'But the social and economic implications are huge. These people need therapy. They need to change the way they act and think.'

So what's the cause of this epidemic? Some researchers feel that our hi-tech world provides far too many distractions for people. Research by Professor Piers Steel from Calgary University says that even the beep notification for a new email is causing a 0.5 per cent drop in gross domestic product in the United States, costing the economy $70bn a year!

Do you suffer from chronic procrastination? If so make sure you actually comment on this thread and let us know.
phillyharper

7 responses // Hi-tech is turning us all into time wasters

  • Chronic procrastination no. Information overload yes.

    Especially true of mobile communications technology. Everyone is expected to be switched on all the time, resulting in that psychological condition where it becomes impossible to not respond to a call or reply to a text message or email - a cause of the unnecessary distractions.

    A lack of mental down time eventually causes depression which may in turn culminate in a reluctance to work to one's full abilities through the negative association of technology equating to stress.
    EclecticBadger
  • Do I suffer from chronic procrastination? Uhh, I don't know I'll let you know tomorrow...what's your e-mail address again?
    AnthonyIac
  • Isn't this just a fancy new term for laziness? In which case, yes, I am sure there are times when you might want to call me a chronic procrastinator.
    JanaPokana
  • Yup, I'm physical proof that this is true. I haven't done anything valuable all week...
    kristianbrodie
  • ach, it's true... while there's so much potetial with all this information we're increasingly just hiding in the corners of cyberspace overwhelmed by it all, or spending hours gorging on useless random info from wikipedia or spying on our friends. I wonder if evolution will start selecting for a new, more internet-resistant type of human that will actually go out and play and interact with other real people..?
    purplefox
  • hmmm.... is it wrong that i feel anxious when i've been separated from my beloved laptop for too long?

    and yet... does anyone else feel a vague sense of relief when they're nowhere near an internet connection? i write twice as fast when i can't get online, and i can't be distracted by all the beautiful information out there on the interweb that's just sitting there deliciously, tempting you to search for it...
    LindseyIndigo
  • I can see how it could be so easy to procrastinate with the proliferation of our never ending injection of gadgetry that purports to alleviate our mundanely complicated lives to heights yet uncharted.
    A simple balance between our existence in a natural state and the understanding that technology though immensely indispensable should still not be the sole determinant of our every existence.
    jhydo

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