Questioning the social affects of technology is not necessarily a knee-jerk luddite approach to technology. One of the affects of technology is the increase in annoyances they create. For example: complex manuals, batteries running down, updates, failures and incompatibilities with other gadgets etc.
Another area is the scope for procrastination digital technology offers. A whole major area is the Internet which enables everything from simple surfing to losing real-life identities due to prolonged participation in online worlds.
Via Question Technology here is an interesting study showing a study that technology increases the amount of procrastination in the world. Prof Piers Steel states that procrastination is natural and not procrastinating takes planning, effort and will. (Globe & Mail).
In the meantime, it seems the Luddites were onto something. Technology has hastened the pace of procrastination, according to Prof. Steel’s research.
“Multitasking destroys performance,” Prof. Steel said as he chided our BlackBerry addicted culture of instant messaging.
So stop checking e-mail! Yes, this one is such a time-sucker it deserves an exclamation point. Turning off the e-mail icon that alerts users to new messages will increase productivity by 5 or 10 per cent per day, Prof. Steel figures. Check e-mail only when it’s convenient — perhaps as you scarf down lunch at your desk — and finally shun that Pavlov’s dog-type reaction to the e-mail alert.
The professor of procrastination also maintains a website called Procrastination Central.