CHAPTER 2
The things we’ve lost
When is downtime, when is stillness? SHERRY TURKLE
WHILE WE LET OUR ATTENTION jump – dictated – from one digital distraction to the next, something gives.
We haven’t given a thought to the skills slipping away. But these skills are many and vital; things like reading, remembering and even sleeping.
As we forge new neural pathways in the brain, we are often using old pathways less and less. For example, we’re so busy checking Twitter that we let our interest in painting go by the wayside.
It is one thing when you lose the knack for speaking Italian because you haven’t been to Italy for a while.
It’s quite another when you start forgetting how to do once everyday tasks.
These are some of the things we are losing ...
Get The Distraction Trap now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
