A Society of Techie Addicts: Is there a Rehab?
©Marisa Guzmán-Aloia
I love the sound of rain drops on the roof. i lay on my bed with my eyes closed listening to the soothing sound of rain fall. this moment of peace was brought to me by Southern California Edison Electric Company. the power in the house went out about three hours ago leaving me with the opportunity to simply listen to the world around me. its a strange feeling not having electricity, especially when your life is consumed with the constant barrage of technology’s offspring. it almost feels like a cleansing or detox: no internet. no phones (and in my case, not even a cell phone because my house is a black hole of cell phone reception). no television. no heat. no microwave. no hairdryer. just whatever battery life is left in the trusty laptop remains my last tie to the fast paced world i live in. and its not much of a tie with no internet. i’m sure the local coffee joints are slammed with people needing a wireless internet fix. why is it so hard to live a day or even a few hours completely cut off from the e-world? i think we are a society of technology addicts. And not all blame is to be put on ourselves. its the world we live in, the society technology has shaped. I am fascinated with technology and the possibilities it has created, but is it why i cant sleep anymore? Are our brains being overly stimulated? we cant just simply watch television anymore. we feel the impulse to also be surfing the web, instant messaging, and texting all while on the phone with someone. when i go to bed something has to hypnotize my brain to get it to turn off. i started falling asleep listening to music. that worked for about a year. since then i have been listening to audio books. and now even the power of the audio book over my brain activity is starting to slip. lately, i find myself falling asleep on the couch in front of the tv. when i get up and flop into bed my brain must recognize that nothing is keeping it entertained anymore. my brain takes a yawn and a stretch, says, “good nap” and then starts turning those gears again. crap. i’m wide awake. so i listen to an audio book and eventually, after several herds of sheep, I fall asleep. I need to reboot, reset my brain, but how do i do that? How do i send my brain to rehab for technology overload? ... And then i turn on CNN and listen to the devastating reports from Haiti. Who cares if i can't sleep, at least I have a roof over my head and bed to lay awake in.