The title of today's blog post comes from Nicholas Carr's latest book, Utopia is Creepy. The book while well-researched manages to give you a bunch of simple ways to think about technology that come from reams of research that he's distilled. "Tools extend us; media confine us" provides an Occam's razor of sorts for technology use. Parents and employers alike are desperate for ways to leverage the power of technology without dependent on 24/7 access to everyone and everything. Carr points out that tools provided by technology rarely turn out to be harmful. Creative pursuits like writing, video-editing, software development, design, and animation put us in flow experiences that tend to enhance our lives and broaden our impact. On the other hand, media tends to do the opposite. Social media news feeds, push notifications from your favorite news outlet, and streaming services (YouTube, Netflix, etc.) tend to put us in consumption mode. This kind of passive consuming leads to obesity and is linked to depression. How active is your technology use? If you're using a keyboard or mouse during your technology use, chances are it is active. If you're just scrolling or watching, you might want to find ways to minimize that or at least find ways to create a more (in-person) social experience out of your interests.
We've Been Busy
In the past couple weeks, Digital Detangler has had the opportunity to be a part of several diverse and far flung media outlets and events.
1) Digital Detangler was named Content Expert by the SOCAT Training and Technical Assistance Center run by the TN Dept of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services.
2) RescueTime gave Digital Detangler a shout-out in a recent blog post!
3) Pete was interviewed by Jim Frawley of Bellwether Hub for his podcast that brings together "a community of people that get shit done." We're proud to have been included.
4) Pete was a keynote speaker at the Wellness 360 Conference in Akron, Ohio this past week. Speaking to so many folks doing the hard work of encouraging employees to build healthy habits was a huge honor and big opportunity to build corporate partnerships in the Ohio market.
We're Going To Stay Busy
While I can't reveal everything we've been up to just yet, there are a number of great things in the works that you'll be hearing more about in coming months. For now get excited about these two upcoming national conferences Pete will present for in coming months.
1) Anxiety Tech is on August 23rd in New York City. I'll join other folks talking about the intersection of technology and mental health.
2) The National Wellness Conference is having me speak on October 2nd at a location so close to Disney World that Pete's already threatening to blow off his own event to ride Space Mountain.
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