An Ode to Contemplation
The signs of info-exhaustion are abundantly clear. I’ve been flashing them red in my status updates after all.
Hanson Hosein I’m tired of being in a perpetual state of communication (says the digital media journalist guy via Twitter and Facebook). [7 comments, 6 people liked this]
Hanson Hosein How to restore “contemplative balance” in an info-saturated world. Love that notion, wish I were in town to attend: http://is.gd/4NbSK [my wife liked this]
Graphic by Kim Rosen
I also joked on Twitter: I’m thinking of starting a Master of Communication in Analog Media.
Far too many people expressed interest, leading me to believe that all us tech-lovers secretly despair of our passion for all things digital. I had mentioned as much during a Fireside Chat on Seattle’s NPR affiliate KUOW, which led to this article in the upcoming issue of Seattle Magazine, “Sound Off: Examining the Value of Tuning Out” (in fine analog style, the columnist Karen Johnson, interviewed me in September, a fact-checker contacted me about my quotes in October, and the dead-tree December issue has yet to hit news stands).
And now I’m up late on a Sunday night — having finished grading assignments, and attempted the Sisyphean e-mail push uphill — writing this blog post. Overwhelmed, overloaded perhaps, but forever propelled by anxiety.
Yup, I’m afraid of missing out — on the latest Tweet, the latest Google Wave plug-in, the latest bit.ly — on any development that will rock my world as a digital media professional and professor. It’s brutal out here in this unsettled, shaky world of technology. From the Seattle Magazine piece:
We’re in the midst of a perfect communication storm. Twitter and Facebook have given us the power to forge vast social networks, and mobile devices allow us to do almost everything online all the time…Many of us have learned first-hand that hypercommunication and multitasking come at a cost: stress, shortened attention spans and a constant sense of urgency.
I know this to be painfully true. Even in my current course (Strategic Research and Business Practice), we’re clearly no longer in my father’s classroom. With each session, we have to manage a Twitter feed (#mcdmresearch), an ongoing conversation via a collaborative online workspace, a live video stream of our lectures, and the upload of our various slide presentations prior to class. They’re all effective tools for the 21st century classroom, but there’s a lot going on even as we teach. My dad actually is a professor, and I think he just uses the overhead projector and a marker…
I’ve started to take countermeasures to defend my personal time. I’ve turned off the e-mail on my Nokia smartphone (too smart for my own good) after 9 p.m., and on weekends (for the most part). When I really want to think, I either (a) step away from the computer and pick up a fountain pen, and paper, plug into a tube headphone amplifier and listen to something like The Band’s The Last Waltz (b) get on a flight for at least 3 hours, where I can read, contemplate and be in a state of blissful disconnect from the phone and the web; (c) take my daughter to the bookstore to help her choose another adventure about Thomas the Tank Engine.
I’ve forgotten what it was like not to be perpetually connected, but I suspect it was a little more peaceful, and a lot less stressful. I may have even made it to bed by 10.
My students were surprised, and a little concerned, when I actually admitted to getting 9 hours sleep a few days ago. But that only happened after a heavy storm knocked out the power around 8 p.m. My laptop did have enough battery life, and I could have tethered my cellphone’s data connection to keep working in the dark. But even I knew then, that enough was enough.
(8 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading ...
Subscribe to Comments
Follow us on Twitter
Get email updates
32 Comments, Comment or Ping
barry devenney
Short of not being online at all (that is, not being ‘here’ to read your post), the most contemplative response possible would be to not to post any response at all.
Bottom line for me is that technology fundamentally changes human behaviors. And that this is not one ‘technology,’ but a firestorm of several – all of which do nothing to temper the tragically American beliefs that work is identity, more is better, and maybe I’m missing out on something.
Frank Schirrmacher has done a lot of thinking on this, and a great essay and interview is available at
http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/schirrmacher09/schirrmacher09_index.html
Meanwhile, like Hanson, I’ll turn it off, walk away, and let it wait as much as possible. Looks like a nice morning to walk my daughter the long way to her bus stop.
Nov 9th, 2009
pluyckx
I’ve advocated before, only half-jokingly, that on hot summer evenings, we abandon the classroom and walk around campus. That’s how the Old Greek philosphers used to do it….
And UW professor Medina talks in his great book Brain Rules about how moving around helps you think. (That’s not an argument for being connected on the move, of course.)
Nov 9th, 2009
Margery Nabors
I would like to underscore the sentiment of “missing out” in this fast pace, ever-producing digital world we live. People, not unlike you or I, are so engrossed online that we feel like we are part of everything, but in reality we are essential for nothing. There will always be someone to take our place in this digital ecosystem we think needs us.
More often that we would like to admit, we will miss tweets and be in the first million instead of the first thousand to see what will become a YouTube sensation.
It’s o.k.
Nov 9th, 2009
pluyckx
I agree, Margery.
I’d like to think that MCDM’ers end up with a deep knowledge, which is more important than how much you’re part of the real-time flow of communication.
I realized after following Monica Guzman’s Twitter news list, that I’m getting exposed to the “latest” local news whenever I’m on the feed, but I may not be getting the most important news or the pieces that provide me with the context to understand what’s going on.
Real-time information is cool, but it’s not a panacea to cure all of our ignorance.
Nov 10th, 2009
Tedd
Exactly why I had to drop the class…
(yet, here I am, still researching the same sources…how ironic is that?)
Nov 10th, 2009
Cheryl Lowry
I love this post! As a blogger about typewriters, ephemera, and analog media (www.strikethru.net) I would be first in line for a Master of Communication in Analog Media degree. I often wonder how I ironically ended up in MCDM (except that I love digital media too, how can you not, even when it’s killing you?)
I was just watching your documentary Independent in America, and thought there are parallels between this concept of big box vs mom and pop, and digital vs. offline media. Digital media, while largely a decidedly democratic, non-corporate force, still wants print media gone– newspapers, books, typewriters (ahem), literary culture, the publishing industry, long-form narratives, physical literary space (libraries, bookstores) and the time to think thoughts longer than 140 characters– all of it must go to make way for the web. That’s what my blog (and our strange network of ‘typecasters’ and ‘scribeomechanical’ afficionados) want to stop– we want the networking power of the web to remain, without destroying the many virtues of offline media culture.
I am VERY psyched that there are documentary and storytelling classes coming up in the program, because I want to create a documentary about the typecasting/scribeomechanical movement — the remaining typewriter repair shops, and the writers and artists committed to Smith Coronas and fountain pens and Polaroid cameras and notepads who rally around these tools in hope of preserving a culture of contemplation. I’m inspired by what you said about “letting the story tell itself” because I think that movement has a story to tell.
Re: Twitter in class, I have on several occasions found myself sending tweets during the research class, and realizing that I can’t do that and pay attention at the same time. I wonder if other students can?
Nov 10th, 2009
pluyckx
Cheryl, love the blog. I don’t know about the exact relationship between medium and quality of thinking. Personally, I never liked the typewriter, and have found my writing to be infinitely better once word processing came around.
On the other hand, I do find myself missing the equivalent of “longhand” when it comes to our public discourse and what’s being published. Maybe we should call it “longthought.”
Speaking of waxing nostalgic, I also wish books still had editors. I too often find books that have a great first chapter (edited) that founder soon afterwards, even in books published by big publishing houses.
Nov 10th, 2009
Paolo
@Peter Always looking for way to argue for class outside… Stick to your campaigning and one day we’ll walk like the Greeks did.
@Hanson In the spirit of your blog post, I have forgiven myself for not being one of the first three people to comment.
I believe we’re reaching the top of this communication hype cycle because, as you narrated, we all have a threshold and some of us are reaching it. When the fun stops, no one will want to play the game.
Real-time communications have caused us to unrealistically shorten our response time expectations from hours to minutes to seconds. That’s stressful.
It’s a great thing that people are so embracing the ability to create communications and try to harness as many mediums as possible. It’s a communications renaissance. But what comes of communications created out of convenience rather than necessity? Not a whole lot.
When the entertainment and novelty passes, I think we’ll get back to meaningful, mass communications. These will likely be through the same digital forms we use today but thanks to filters will become more and more manaegable.
We’ll all see a lot less graffiti on our screens.
Unfortunately, I have to keep this response short because I haven’t checked Twitter or email for at least two minutes. The stream beckons.
Nov 10th, 2009
Shelby
I too battle that “missing out on something” paranoia. But I’ve come to realize that my knowing everything that’s going on in my designated world at every minute (a) isn’t possible and (b) doesn’t give me a chance to sit back and absorb what’s really happening around me. What is the cumulative impact of all of these discrete events?
Ironically, the best way I’ve found to keep up on the meaning of everything and how I can apply that to my practice is sitting quietly with a pile of print magazines and papers — maybe a few week’s or month’s worth — and absorbing the evolution of the trend(s) and stories around me versus the daily blip of what is happening now, right now!
This is one reason (secret hope?) I don’t think all newspapers will go away. While I get most of my news online, there is still something comforting, satisfying and reassuring about the ritual of holding the day’s news in my hands at once. Even if I’ve peeked already and know it’s outdated, taking a moment to unplug and absorb a day’s events arranged on a page in someone else’s order of importance is downright decadent.
Nov 10th, 2009
Eric
This is great Hanson. Thank you for manning up and telling it like it is. I certainly appreciate a “wake up call” every now and then, and I suspect others do as well. I believe one thing was left out though.
You write: “Many of us have learned first-hand that hypercommunication and multitasking come at a cost: stress, shortened attention spans and a constant sense of urgency.” This is absolutely true. However, I think it puts a damper on our relationships as well.
My turn to “man up” here in this comment. There have been several situations where my wife has had to (metaphorically) pour cold water on me to sober me up from my digital intoxication. How many times have we said: “I’ll just send one email,” only to have it lead to several more etc. You get the point. It’s intoxicating and those around us usually call us on it, as they should.
Taking “countermeasures to defend my personal time” is a new concept to me. I’m going to have to look into that. For now, I’ll just take the queues from my wife!
Nov 10th, 2009
RLeslein
I had been having some conflicts with a lot of these communication tools, and wondering if they are a little too geared for the narcissists in all of us. After all, in all of the communications that are put out on “Twitter”, “Facebook”, etc., aren’t the majority just one way announcements? Is there really a conversation going on, or are we all just making proclamations of who we are (or things we like). Then constantly checking back in to see others reactions.
These aren’t true conversions. The tools we use aren’t really even designed for conversation, they are design for announcement.
Twitter, for example, limits it’s character input. How can a true conversation be had, when there is limited characters. Not to mention, what a horrible venue to hold a true conversation. I won’t even get into Facebook.
Hanson’s article inspired me to start searching for practicing the “Art of Unplugging”. And then I came upon this: http://www.fuelyourwriting.com/why-its-good-to-unplug-sometimes/
It’s all of my negative cynicism, but said so much more eloquently.
Nov 11th, 2009
adriana
Completely agree!!! That’s why the new standard of luxury is to be disconnected and unreachable.
Nov 11th, 2009
Mary
My Dad was (now retired) a lawyer at the top of his profession just about the time cell phones started becoming ubiquitous. He absolutely refused to get one explaining: “why would I want clients to be able to contact me all the time?” This is a fair point, and one I’ve tended to follow. I never got a blackberry when I worked for a newspaper, even when it would have been pretty useful those nights spent driving around in the dark in rural New Hampshire, trying to find Hillary’s next rally. I simply didn’t want to be able to check my work email all the time. I needed some kind of separation between my work life and my personal life. The correspondents I worked with absolutely loved long-haul flights, it was the one time when their editors couldn’t wake them up with a phone call in the middle of the night. Being unplugged has its advantages.
Nov 12th, 2009
lailakaz
Love the post and the Seattle Mag article! Getting over the need to always stay connected takes on an additional meaning when you are a parent of little ones and in a constant state of information limbo with half written e-mails, unfinished phone conversations, and half-read news stories
. Taking many technology-free “Zen moments” becomes especially inviting!
Nov 12th, 2009
marcpease
In the Fireside chat video Ross and Hanson talk about the role of government in the media. One question would be the use of the public rights-of-ways by private providers for their own business, messages and profits. As reported in the NYTimes yesterday; ” Beyond news sites, video is now the fastest-growing segment of the Internet advertising market. Will public providers such as the Seattle Channel be able to utilize the broadband infrastructure in the future? Will net neutrality be realized for digital content dissemination for local online video as an extension of TV? Currently HR 3745, the legislation assuring PEG Access, is being debated and should be included in a discussion at the next chat session.
Nov 12th, 2009
Cheryl Lowry
This post struck a note with a lot of people — there’s got to be an idea for class in this concept somewhere
Nov 13th, 2009
Dean Hudson
I’ve been in several “discussions” of late about information burn, specifically with regards to Facebook. Having repeatedly adopted new social networks as part of my job, I’ve noticed a pattern burnout that happens after each network reaches a certain level of adoption. I pretty firmly believe that each network’s value comes not just from its features and ease of use, but from the particular cross-section of your real social network that it exposes you to.
I think Facebook has begun to reach a point of saturation where it may have begun losing value; with the number of connections that most users have, their Facebook networks are spanning multiple cross-sections of their entire social graph. But Facebook’s privacy controls are anything but granular, and it becomes increasing challenging to communicate with multiple communities simultaneously in a way that’s valuable within each of these communities.
I’m just not sure that I’m interested in communicating in a social network that spans everyone I’ve ever met, and I don’t think that I’m alone in that.
As an aside, once you forgo hyperconnectivity, I’ve found that you forget about it pretty quickly. I took a month long trip in 2007 with no cell phone and no internet connectivity and within a day fI didn’t miss it. Important information has a way of finding you with or without hyperconnectivity–Paul Revere’s ride probably would have been less effective as a Facebook campaign.
Nov 16th, 2009
Jennifer Scott
Nice post, Hanson. Glad to know, though I always suspected, that I am not the only one thinking that the constant need to be wired is probably unhealthy and often counter-productive.
Nov 16th, 2009
Amy Rolph
I have to confess, I’ve been finding excuses to leave my BlackBerry places. The car, my purse, the locker at the gym — anywhere, really, where I won’t be able to see its flashing light or hear it ring. Earlier today, I chose to recharge it at work down a hallway and around a corner from my desk. I learned later that my co-workers aren’t so keen on abandoned cell phones ringing for minutes on end. I’m glad you spoke up about your info-exhaustion, Hanson. It makes me feel less guilty about mine.
Nov 19th, 2009
Jeremy
One of the nice features of the Nokia phone OS is the ability to establish a “work vs home” profile to hide related content on a set schedule (as Hanson mentioned). It does provide you with a bit of regimented self-control (“if I don’t toggle over to ‘work’, I won’t think about it…as much”) for the weekends. It lets you keep your phone handy for weekend activities, but avoids the black hole that sucks you in when you see your inbox light up.
I wish Blackberries had it!
Nov 21st, 2009
*cat
This post definitely struck a chord with me. As an digital producer in my professional career, being digital means being available 24/7 to the clients, the product at hand, and the infrastructure that sustains it all due to the ‘always on’ mentality. There have been days where I go home and don’t want to even look at the computer or read my personal emails — I’d actually rather pick up a magazine or stare at the TV for the remainder of the night in order to properly decompress for the day.
I’ve come to appreciate the more analog things in life again, most of the clocks in my house are analog, I prefer to read print publications, get a kick out of non-digital creative platforms (billboards, bus wraps) and point of sale kiosks — so Hanson, if you start the Masters of Communication in Analog Media, I’m THERE.
Nov 23rd, 2009
Scott Loughran
I agree with ADRIANA that the ability to afford not to be “real-time” is a new luxury. This would could create a nice social experiment for a week, or at the least a night. Nothing with a battery or power cord allowed. Want to tell a friend something? Write a letter, with a pen and paper, then pass it along via the postal worker. Lets go to the overhead projector and whiteboards for a night in class and see if the conversation changes. Pass out your deck printed in a packet and we can all get writers cramp instead of inflamed Carpal Tunnel. Being sensitive to those with circumstances that they can’t control and unable to attend class, what is it like to have to hunt down a classmate and ask for handwritten notes instead of a link to the video archive?
Could even reverting back two decades worth of classroom technology shift our thought process down a road less traveled? Allow us some inspiring insight to eventually plug in even deeper? Having never traveled outside of the US (sorry Hanson, not even to Canada) I have often wondered how experiencing another culture would change my perspective on society and community. Maybe to even better understand my own place in the world a little better. Getting off of “the grid” would not only be refreshing, but could actually be what makes “the grid” better and smarter.
Nov 24th, 2009
Elise Chisholm
Perhaps we should all consider a stay at reSTART, featured in the December issue of Seattle Met. Touted as the nation’s first web rehab center, reSTART offers a 45-day program designed to address internet and gaming addictions. The best part: It’s conveniently located near Microsoft headquarters.
Self-diagnosis quiz: http://www.netaddictionrecovery.com/the-problem/are-you-addicted.html
Seattle Met article: http://www.seattlemet.com/issues/archives/articles/internet-addiction-restart-1209/
Nov 26th, 2009
Gerrit
Anxiety is the word isn’t it – I sit in class most of the time feeling anxious about all things I am missing and all of the things I feel like I should be keeping up on. I have lists of little tidbits I’ve gleaned from class that I want to go back and explore further but instead the list keeps getting longer and the time seemingly shorter. Where is the depth and understanding – when is there time for that! I can’t keep up with my blog, my Facebook, and now I’m twittering! For what?
At times I spend months in the field in places like the Canadian high arctic where I am completely disconnected – what a beautiful world there is out there and how simple and enjoyable life can be when one lets it happen. Anxiety lost – for a moment.
Dec 3rd, 2009
Priti
I’m beginning to wonder if all these modes of communication are destined to result in a major backlash. Perhaps in ten years or so, there will be a mass migration from virtual-based work back to real-world trades. I think we’ve yet to discovery the psychological implications of all this tools and it’ll be interesting to see how all of this plays out. I think the lack of tangibility in cyberspace will ultimately drive people to see out work that has a more defined final product. I can see careers as a butchers, bakers, and candlesticks maker becoming ever more appealing.
Dec 5th, 2009
shane
Even before the onslaught of widespread wireless connectivity, I used to fall prey to switching radio stations every thirty seconds just to see if there was a better song on, or better conversation on a talk station. Even now, on a Sunday when I am usually a blob devoted to NFL football, I have justin.tv streaming a game, a game on my TV, my fantasy scores (from two leagues) on my laptop and will soon call my dad to talk about the upcoming Seahawks game.
The idea that I am missing something – a great play, a better game – is beginning to ruin even the most asynchronous events in our culture – live sports. The idea of the paradox of choice, the more choice we have the less happy we are, is something I am believing in more and more. I have a stack of movies and books I want to enjoy, but feel that if I devote, egads, an hour to them I will be unconnected to something immediate and social and somehow better. Although I don’t text during movies, I understand the urge!
For two years I lived without cable or television reception and I did more activities, saw more movies and read more books. It was probably the most productive time of my life. And yet, the idea of disconnecting again seems absurd. For better or worse – I don’t really know.
Dec 6th, 2009
nsiegel922
I absolutely agree Hanson – all media must be consumed in moderation. While the capabilities and offerings of digital media are endless, there is definitely a downside to all of the connectedness. One relevant example in my own life – the infamous UW police texts. Yes, I am definitely satisfied with the way that UW has been handling communication regarding the recent stream of crimes. However, I am finding that on the flip side, I am living in a constant state of fear, one that I don’t remember from my years at undergrad. Sure, there were petty theft crimes taking place in Ann Arbor while I attended UofM. Was I finding out about them instantaneously via text or twitter? No. I was still cautious and in turn safe, I just wasn’t getting minute to minute updates of every bad thing going on which in my opinion, was much better for my sanity.
Same goes with the news. The same amount of crimes are taking place, but the difference is, I am finding out about them minute to minute, rather than in one daily dose. Knowing how neurotic I am (thanks Mom), I have to consciously remind myself to carve out only certain times during the day where I’ll let myself consume mainstream news.
I also agree with Maggie Jackson’s argument (from Karen Johnson’s Seattle Magazine article), that multitasking has created an ADD society. I couldn’t agree more. In fact, in the time that I’ve sat down to write this post, I have checked twitter twice, facebook three times, and looked at dresses online. Phew! It’s hard for me to concentrate with all of this digital eye candy. I have 100% seen the toll digital media has take on my attention span. I pride myself in being a good multi-tasker, however, even I can only handle so much at a time.
I fear that in a way, social media has actually made us less social. I see it around me, when I’m on the bus, and everyone’s heads are turned down staring at their handheld device. When I am around my little sisters, they barely turn their heads up to look at me, since they are glued to their iPhones. I feel myself being rude when I’m with my less digitally savvy family, and I’m busy emailing on my phone. I have to remind myself to put down the device, and be social – as in human being social.
Hanson, I like the concept of finding a moment to breathe by creating your “zen” moments. This is something I need to make more of a concerted effort to do daily. Whether it’s reading (a real book, not online), practicing yoga, cooking, or conversing with friends – I need to remind myself to take breaks from all things digital. When I do find that right balance between digital and offline, I’m confident that I’ll have more valuable experiences with both.
Dec 7th, 2009
Jessica Roberts
This entry has been on my mind a great deal since Hanson posted it last month. I’m unabashedly pro-contemplation and have traditionally made my personal ‘office hours’ clear. Unplugged time is crucial: observation and contemplation make me good at my job. I need real-life sensory overload to feel happy and alive. But, recently I’ve started to succumb to the power of online connection. I think its becoming a problem.
Over the summer, I was able to spend several weeks at my family’s lake house cabin, which is hidden in the tall pine trees outside of Shelton, WA. We are literally situated on “Lost Lake.” My great-grandparents set down on commandment when they built the cabin in 1928: No electronics allowed. My uncle remembers sneaking out to a 1957 Chevy to listen to the radio, risking a stern reprimand from the matriarch for a few minutes with Bill Haley. By the time I arrived, radio was allowed, but playing cards, swimming and reading was as high-tech as it went. The best memories of my childhood are from those weeks. I’m more highly attuned to songs that played, smells from the cabin and fond memories of my family than any other memories of my young life. Attention to the moment was the gift handed down from my great grandparents.
After over eighty years of this electronics ban, I found out through a Facebook update that technology has finally infiltrated the “Linger Longer Lodge.” Someone added DSL. We all gasped in horror but no one complained. For me, it was a lifeline, the ability to continue with school work, but to also enjoy afternoon swims. My best friend works from home and the line allowed her to enjoy relaxing weeks away. The technology may have felt contraband, but we were willing to embrace it so we could enjoy our mixed-use holidays.
But looking back at the weeks at the lake, I struggle to remember the time we spent. So much energy was sucked into my screen as I deciphered Twitter and read about metrics and emailed, with.. who, again? My friend even spent an entire day texting & facebooking rather than simply enjoying the peace and quiet of the lake. Not one single card game was played, as we struggled to disconnect from the electronic bracelet of connectivity. The lure of our daily life, the addiction to connection, the crunch of deadlines poured into what has been a lifelong oasis. At the end of the summer, rather than feeling refreshed and inspired, but as if I’d missed something crucial, something that was right in front of my face.
Social networking and hyper-connectivity is amazing and can do so much. But I think my great grandparents had it right. There is a time and place for everything. And no matter our profession or passion, we all need to allow ourselves a space for ‘nothing.’ Next year, I’m going back to the electronics embargo. I’ve been told that the world won’t end.
Dec 8th, 2009
Erika
I’m afraid I can relate all too well to this. Trying to find some sort of balance between life online and offline ends up feeling like an inner tug of war, but love it or hate, I can’t live without it. Usually, I am happiest having 20 tabs open in Internet Explorer, 15 different windows, the TV on, switching between work and play, and I still feel unproductive, wondering what else I should be doing. Of course, it doesn’t help that my job requires me to be on a computer all day long. There are times when I admittedly don’t mind being stuck in traffic on the way home, my brain welcoming a mindless task and chance to zone out and decompress. And after a long week, I reach digital overload and physically and mentally cannot look at any type of screen anymore. …and then, have to disconnect.
Dec 8th, 2009
Reply to “An Ode to Contemplation”