Cyberkrank! - Quick Review

For a long time now, I've been interested in the impact of screen devices on our functioning. Although I work in IT, and I'm an enthusiast of technology and many new solutions, I can't help but ask uncomfortable questions: What do we need this for? What impact does it have? Will I genuinely gain anything from this? Of course, information gathered from self-observation isn't enough. Fortunately, scientific literature comes to the rescue. Recently, I finished reading "Cyberkrank" (Cyber Sickness) by the German neurobiologist and psychiatrist Manfred Spitzer. It casts a shadow on many solutions and companies.

Although the book isn't new – it premiered in 2016 – it remains fully relevant. I'm inclined to argue that the negative aspects described in it are even more potent now because, less than a decade ago, smartphones and tablets were significantly less common. In his publication, Spitzer clearly shows that what seemed like a breakthrough has a strongly negative impact. Examples? We think we are multitaskers and try to do many things at once. As a result, our efficiency drops, as does our ability to concentrate. Through many devices and applications, we become, in a way, their slaves: we become reactive to what they serve us, instead of proactively, independently deciding what we want to do and, simply, humanly, coming up with various ideas.

The financial outlays of many countries on the digitalization of schools have brought about a Dunning-Kruger effect in education: instead of an increase in intelligence, we have a decrease... worsening eyesight, slower speech development, or drawing skills. I don't need this explained to me. I see it clearly with my own child: the flat screen of even the best device is still... a flat screen, without any weight, roughness, or any developmental physical experiences. Add to this an increase in compulsiveness, attention deficit (ADHD), and the ensuing consequences such as a surge in obesity. Further problems include a growing number of people with depression, loneliness, and an increase in the number of suicides. The statistics are truly saddening, and it's starkly clear that the technological development of the last 20-30 years has had an impact on all of this.

The book also presented significant differences in the quality of learning from digital devices versus traditional paper: it made me wonder whether, in the case of scientific literature, I should perhaps put the Kindle aside and reach for paper more often... Another thing is that e-ink, despite everything, performs quite well here. Digital media, nevertheless, encourage a more superficial approach, a quick skimming with the eyes. The sheer volume of information, which we will never be able to realistically absorb, and the FOMO effect don't make things easier. My recent observations are also confirmed: boredom is necessary; without it, our mind will not be able to consolidate acquired knowledge.

Well, I won't hide it: although I don't like market regulations, after reading books and analyzing research, I know that some of them are simply necessary. I consider it a huge mistake how much freedom has been given, for example, in the USA, to social media giants like Meta. Of course, someone might say, "everyone has a choice and can control themselves." I disagree. That's naive thinking: because what chance do we, as individuals, have against corporations full of behavioral specialists, psychologists, and many others? Well, very little. Technology must be a tool for us, not us fodder for it.