Comments on: Infomania and Facebook http://grahamchastney.com/2007/09/infomania-and-facebook/ Writings from a technologist trying to find a way through to the other side Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:25:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Graham Chastney (oak-grove) http://grahamchastney.com/2007/09/infomania-and-facebook/comment-page-1/#comment-100 Graham Chastney (oak-grove) Fri, 21 Sep 2007 09:47:26 +0000 http://grahamchastney.com/?p=164#comment-100 <strong>eBay</strong> Following on from my post about Infomania and Facebook the BBC is today reporting on a set of workers who have lost their jobs because of ebay addiction. Unison welfare officer Mark Fisher said people got "addicted" to certain web eBay

Following on from my post about Infomania and Facebook the BBC is today reporting on a set of workers who have lost their jobs because of ebay addiction. Unison welfare officer Mark Fisher said people got “addicted” to certain web

]]> By: Steve Richards http://grahamchastney.com/2007/09/infomania-and-facebook/comment-page-1/#comment-99 Steve Richards Sat, 15 Sep 2007 09:37:49 +0000 http://grahamchastney.com/?p=164#comment-99 Whilist I agree in principle with your point: "My starting point is that infomania not the tool's problem, it's a human problem. We are still in control of the machines, we still have access to the off button" the same can be said of other addictions -- drug adiction is not the fault of Heroin, etc. I think its easy to say turn it off, for someone who hasn't been addicted! My preference is to try and develop strategies to help people realise they have an addiction, relaise the damage it does and then help them break it. Obviously its even better to help them avoid it in the first place. When I got my Blackberry years ago I noticed the addiction within days and quickly switched off the audio/visual notification. Still it was a problem. I've not had a Blackberry for a while and am just about to get another so it will be interesting to see how I cope. I am certainly addicted to email/RSS checking now and have to be pretty proactive in using strategies to control its negative affect on my productivity. All that said - I know I have an addictive personability, so I may be worse than others. Steve Whilist I agree in principle with your point:
“My starting point is that infomania not the tool’s problem, it’s a human problem. We are still in control of the machines, we still have access to the off button”
the same can be said of other addictions — drug adiction is not the fault of Heroin, etc. I think its easy to say turn it off, for someone who hasn’t been addicted! My preference is to try and develop strategies to help people realise they have an addiction, relaise the damage it does and then help them break it. Obviously its even better to help them avoid it in the first place.
When I got my Blackberry years ago I noticed the addiction within days and quickly switched off the audio/visual notification. Still it was a problem. I’ve not had a Blackberry for a while and am just about to get another so it will be interesting to see how I cope. I am certainly addicted to email/RSS checking now and have to be pretty proactive in using strategies to control its negative affect on my productivity.
All that said – I know I have an addictive personability, so I may be worse than others.
Steve

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