ARE SOCIAL MEDIA MAKING US STUPID?

Professor Clifford Nass argued that increasing use of media and social
media erodes social and emotional development. Weve got to make face-toface time sacred, and we have to bring back the saying we used to hear all
the time, and now never hear, Look at me when I talk to you.
Nass spent more than 25 years studying people as they confronted the
constantly changing technology of the computer age how they responded to
simulated voices. One of his most publicized research projects was a 2009
study on multitasking. He and his colleagues presumed people who frequently
juggled computer, phone or television screens, or just different applications,
would be skilled at ignoring irrelevant information, or able to switch between
tasks efficiently, or possessed of a particularly orderly memory.
We all bet high mulitaskers were going to be stars at something, he said
in an interview with the PBS program Frontline. We were absolutely shocked.
We all lost our bets. It turns out multitaskers are terrible at every aspect of
multitasking. They are terrible at ignoring irrelevant information; they are
terrible at keeping information in their head nicely and neatly organized; and
they are terrible at switching from one task to another One would think if
people were bad at multitasking, they would stop. However, when we talk
with the multitaskers, they seem to think theyre great at it and seem totally
unfazed and totally able to do more and more and more.
With children doing more multitasking and people asked to do more of it
at work, Nass said, We worry that it may be creating people who are unable
to think well and clearly.
Dr. Nass and his colleagues found people relate to their technological
devices in a social way, and these relationships make their users feel good or
bad. They are not just toolspeople think they are real people.

REELELE SOCIALE NE FAC MAI PROTI?

Profesorul Clifford Nass a susinut c utilizarea intens a mass-mediei i
reelelor sociale erodeaz dezvoltarea social i emoional. Trebuie sa facem
timpul petrecut fa-n-fa ceva sacru, si trebuie s aducem napoi spusele pe
care obinuiam sa le auzim tot timpul, dar nu le mai auzi acum: Uit-te la
mine cnd vorbesc cu tine.
Nass a petrecut peste 25 de ani studiind oameni care s-au cu confruntat
tehnologia n continu schimbare a erei calculatorului cum au rspuns la
vocile simulate. Unul dintre proiectele sale cele mai mediatizate de cercetare
a fost un studiu din 2009 privind multitasking-ul. El si colegii lui au presupus
persoanele care jonglau frecvent calculatorul, telefonul sau televizorul, sau
doar diferite aplicaii, ar fi calificai la ignorarea informaii irelevante, sau abili
de a comuta ntre sarcini n mod eficient, sau posesori a unei memorii extrem
de ordonate.
Noi toi am pariat ca multitask-erii vor fi staruri la ceva a zis el ntr-un
interviu pentru emisiunea Frontline, PBS. Am fost absolut ocai. Cu toii
am pierdut pariurile noastre. Se pare multitasker-ii sunt teribil la fiecare
aspect al multitasking-ului. Ei sunt teribil la ignorarea informaii irelevante; ei
sunt teribili la pstrarea informaii n capul lor, organizat in mod frumos i
ngrijit i sunt teribil la trecerea de la o sarcina la alta ... Cineva ar crede dac
oamenii stteau prost la capitolul multitasking-ului, ei s-ar fi oprit. Cu toate
acestea, atunci cnd vorbim cu multitask-erii, ei par s cread c sunt foarte

buni la asta i par cu totul i cu totul neimpresionai si capabil s fac mai

mult, mai mult i mai mult.
Nass a zis i fac griji c copii fac mai mult multitasking i ca oamenilor li se
cer s fac mai mult la locul de munc iar aceasta ar putea crea oameni
imposibili de a gndi bine i clar.
Dr. Nass si colegii si au descoperit oamenii se refer la dispozitivele
tehnologice ntr-un mod social, iar aceste relaii face utilizatorii lor se simt
bine sau ru. Ei nu sunt doar instrumente, oamenii cred c sunt oameni reali.