The Dude is hard at work reviewing surveys and like many of you is starting to suffer from data drudgery (a/k/a the DD’s). Thanks to all of you who are working on getting your survey submitted. Because of this, today’s post will regurgitate a recent report from the Pew Research Center. The title of the report says it all:
One-fifth of Americans report going online ‘almost constantly’ (and nothing illustrates this more than a frog in a shopping cart next to a 1980’s PC). If you want a further breakdown of the demographics of these online addictions, take a closer look at the report. This is the first time that Pew included an “almost constantly” option on a survey. One of the takeaways from this is that in light of the “almost constantly” possibility, if you are either promoting your library or running your business (or running your library like a business) then you’d be better served to take things into account like the use of mobile devices and social media when you design your websites and promote your services. Because 20% of Americans are on those things “almost constantly”. Let your imagination guide you when considering that 20% and how that “almost constant” affects their daily lives.
And speaking of running things like a business (so much for that promise for a simple regurgitation), perhaps let’s clarify that and say let’s run things like a progressive 22
nd Century business where the primary (or sole) focus isn’t just on maximizing profits at any cost. Profits aren’t everything, especially when real lives are trounced in the process. Try an empathetic business model, where all people (from the janitor to the department head) are treated with respect and valued. Trust me, you will feel much better when you choose quality over quantity, and they will too.
Another takeaway from this is the notion of being constantly connected and specific connections to social media. An
extensive study, specifically about unrestrained Facebook use and subjective well-being was published not too long ago (2013). In case you can’t see this one coming, yes, what they discovered was that as FB use went up, life satisfaction went down. Two things should be noted, however. For one, we are talking about
excessive use, and quite frankly this goes with the “almost constantly” theme of this post. Secondly, the researchers also asked questions about their perceived subjective well-being when they didn’t uncontrollably use FB but rather sought out direct social interactions with real life humans. Guess what? When the subjects had more direct social interactions and less online ones, they reported feeling better over time.
One point to mention here is to not underestimate the importance of a digital detox and reiterate the importance of moderation. First, the detox. Start today. You don’t have to go on a vacation to Angkor Wat or the North Shore of Oahu to make this happen. Disconnect to connect, so to speak, with real people. They are in front of you every day. Now, the Dude won’t get upset if you don’t; some people need a little alone time and that’s OK. Completely understandable. But there are times when you really don’t need to reach for that phone, tablet, or laptop. It can wait a little while later. Finally, the basic prescription here is good old fashioned hedonism. No, not the hedonism you’ve come to think of (such as
Roman World from
Westworld), but rather the prescription that we take into account both pleasure
and pain. Maximize the pleasure, minimize the pain. Familiarize yourself with Bentham’s
Hedonistic Calculus (or Felicific Calculus, if you prefer). Notably, while we are at it (and Bentham recognized this), let’s take into account the pleasure and pain of other people. It’s a complicated world but we all live in it. Let’s close with a quote from the Dali Lama that seems to transcend these notions:
Western civilization’s science and technology bring society tremendous benefit. Yet, due to highly developed technology, we also have more anxiety and more fear. I always feel that mental development and material development must be well-balanced, so that together they may make a more human world. If we lose human values and human beings become part of a machine, there is no freedom from pain and pleasure. Without freedom from pain and pleasure, it is very difficult to demarcate between right and wrong. The subjects of pain and pleasure naturally involve feeling, mind, and consciousness.
Shaka, Dali Lama.
The Dude is hard at work reviewing surveys and like many of you is starting to suffer from data drudgery (a/k/a the DD’s). Thanks to all of you who are working on getting your survey submitted. Because of this, today’s post will regurgitate a recent report from the Pew Research Center. The title of the report says it all: One-fifth of Americans report going online ‘almost constantly’ (and nothing illustrates this more than a frog in a shopping cart next to a 1980’s PC). If you want a further breakdown of the demographics of these online addictions, take a closer look at the report. This is the first time that Pew included an “almost constantly” option on a survey. One of the takeaways from this is that in light of the “almost constantly” possibility, if you are either promoting your library or running your business (or running your library like a business) then you’d be better served to take things into account like the use of mobile devices and social media when you design your websites and promote your services. Because 20% of Americans are on those things “almost constantly”. Let your imagination guide you when considering that 20% and how that “almost constant” affects their daily lives.
And speaking of running things like a business (so much for that promise for a simple regurgitation), perhaps let’s clarify that and say let’s run things like a progressive 22nd Century business where the primary (or sole) focus isn’t just on maximizing profits at any cost. Profits aren’t everything, especially when real lives are trounced in the process. Try an empathetic business model, where all people (from the janitor to the department head) are treated with respect and valued. Trust me, you will feel much better when you choose quality over quantity, and they will too.
Another takeaway from this is the notion of being constantly connected and specific connections to social media. An extensive study, specifically about unrestrained Facebook use and subjective well-being was published not too long ago (2013). In case you can’t see this one coming, yes, what they discovered was that as FB use went up, life satisfaction went down. Two things should be noted, however. For one, we are talking about excessive use, and quite frankly this goes with the “almost constantly” theme of this post. Secondly, the researchers also asked questions about their perceived subjective well-being when they didn’t uncontrollably use FB but rather sought out direct social interactions with real life humans. Guess what? When the subjects had more direct social interactions and less online ones, they reported feeling better over time.
One point to mention here is to not underestimate the importance of a digital detox and reiterate the importance of moderation. First, the detox. Start today. You don’t have to go on a vacation to Angkor Wat or the North Shore of Oahu to make this happen. Disconnect to connect, so to speak, with real people. They are in front of you every day. Now, the Dude won’t get upset if you don’t; some people need a little alone time and that’s OK. Completely understandable. But there are times when you really don’t need to reach for that phone, tablet, or laptop. It can wait a little while later. Finally, the basic prescription here is good old fashioned hedonism. No, not the hedonism you’ve come to think of (such as Roman World from Westworld), but rather the prescription that we take into account both pleasure and pain. Maximize the pleasure, minimize the pain. Familiarize yourself with Bentham’s Hedonistic Calculus (or Felicific Calculus, if you prefer). Notably, while we are at it (and Bentham recognized this), let’s take into account the pleasure and pain of other people. It’s a complicated world but we all live in it. Let’s close with a quote from the Dali Lama that seems to transcend these notions:
