Introduction

     Dr. Larry Rosen’s book, iDisorder: Understanding Our Obsession With Technology And Overcoming Its Hold On Us discusses the fact that media as a whole has become an addictive obsession for the overwhelming majority of us, whether we realize it or not.  He goes in depth in twelve chapters with the effect of social media, our constant need to check our phones, and how we almost get a high from using our technology.

Albert Einstein once said, “It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity,” and this quote couldn’t fit better into the theme of this book.  The New York Times called this book, “Thoughtful, clearly written and full of ideas and data you’ll want to throw into dinner-party conversation.” Also, just as a side note, he writes his book in first person and also tells many stories throughout, which makes it for an interesting, connected read.  

Obsessively Checking In With Our Technology... 24/7

     The first theme that he really looks at is how we obsessively check in with our technology.  In these couple of chapters Dr. Larry Rosen gives real life scenarios of people at restaurants, or at home with their kids, and their experiences with one of them getting worked up about the other constantly being on their phone.  I liked the way he did this because although the whole book was humanizing, the real life examples really hit home and made it easier for people to connect with the book for they may have lived those experiences themselves.  He then goes on to explain the MTV coined term, FOMO, or “fear of missing out”.  This term basically means that people are always attached to their devices, and when they are not, they get an uncomfortable feeling that they’re missing out on something.  After this, he goes on to explain that clearly an iDisorder related to technology anxiety and OCD is becoming increasingly prevalent as we become attached to devices for all aspects of our lives.  Everyone’s constant desire to be connected to the Internet and technology is not only affecting their lives, but the lives around them as well.  The article “May I Have Your Attention? The Consequences of Anytime, Anywhere Technology,” written by S. Craig Watkins gives great insight on this fact when he talks about how kids in schools these days can barely pay attention to what is being taught because they are too busy on their phones to look up and learn from their teacher (Watkins, 2009).

 

     Our technology is becoming an addiction we have withdrawal-like symptoms when we cannot/ are not around it. This is further explained in the second theme talked about by saying that the internet, or texting people causes a release of endorphins and stimulates our mind just like a drug would, making us want to get that feeling again by staying on longer, or using our technology more often.

Technology "High"

     The second theme that Dr. Larry Rosen talks about is how we almost get a high from using our technology.  In this section of the book he talks about different addictions and how Internet addiction is just as serious and real as some drug addictions. Internet addition is the most researched form of a technology addiction, but other related addictions have been proposed by scientists.  Some have proposed television addiction, while others have proposed video game addiction.  He talks about how there are symptoms of withdrawal, like agitation, depression, anger, and anxiety when the person is away from technology or computers and how these psychological symptoms might even turn into physical symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, tense shoulders, and shortness of breath.  It also presents the problem of habituation or tolerance.  Tolerance means that an addict grows accustomed to the “high” received from technology use and therefore must do something more extreme to achieve the same high the next time that technology is used.  A great example he used was a video game addict that could thoroughly enjoy playing a game, but after awhile, needs to be able to play it for a longer period of time to get that same satisfaction.  Not surprisingly, addiction to cell phone use is now being identified and studied by researchers.  “Christina Jenaro and her colleagues at the University of Salamanca in Spain found out that, while many students were frequent phone junkies, 10 percent of the students in her sample exhibited problematic cell phone overuse and, additionally, 3.9 percent of the students had both problematic cell phone and problematic Internet overuse” (Larry Rosen, 2012).

New Media And Our Appearance

     The third and final theme that he talks about is new media and our relationship with our appearance. According to Rosen and other researching the psychological affects of technology, eating disorders and media/technology use have become intertwined.  Because of advancements in technology and the constraint focus on thinness and beauty in the media, eating disorders, such as Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa, have risen.  With all of our divides being continuously overloaded with obnoxious advertisements on health and beauty, many women find themselves falling under the impression that their bodies are not acceptable to today’s society.  Rosen gave a powerful example when he talked about researcher Anne Becker and how she found that before the country of Fiji was introduced to television, only 3% of women had tried purging.  After the introduction of television, the number rose to 15%.  Becker also found that 50% of women in Fiji felt fat after watching television.  The media and technology are taking advantage of the fact that the majority of people are connected, and use this advantage to portray thinness and beauty (Larry Rosen P. , 2012). 

Closing Remarks

     This book made me take a step back and really think about how reliant I really am on my technology and how much more time I would have in a day if I just put my phone down.  There were many self-quizzes throughout the book to check your anxiety levels when leaving your phone, or how often you check it, and going through it was almost embarrassing because I didn’t realize how much I really unnecessarily use my technology.  This book really opened my eyes and I recommend it to anyone who has a cell phone, laptop, gaming system or television.  I have never read a book that has made me think about my own life more than this one has and I will forever be grateful for it changing my outlook on technology and overall life.