Growing Up Digital Wired For Distraction Summary

Lauren Shinozuka, author of the article “The Dangers of Digital Distractedness,” illustrates in her work the havoc that has been brought upon Millennials by social media. Young adults have grown to be addicted to any sort of social outlet, whether it is via cell phone or laptop; and as a result have long forgotten the importance of face-to-face interactions. The technological age is well underway; and for many, there seems to be no way to reverse the social damage that has already been done. Although there are some perks to this age of technology, such as being able to easily navigate through Web pages and using smartphone apps to make daily life easier, Shinozuka asserts that more and more dependence on the Internet and less dependence on

Technology isn’t hurting us as it is perceived to be. It seems like there is a lot of controversy between having limitations or not having them for technology. I believe teenagers should have some limitations decided by the family but not have everything taken away from them, because technology is unique and helpful. Technology increases the connection between people, it allows you to express yourself in many way and finally it doesn’t limit your intelligence. Although being connected all the time would possibly make you more isolated or make you feel more isolated it’s fantastic to know you have a chance to not be alone, to be connected even when you’re far away.

He argues, the internet is affecting our ability to concentrate by saying, “My concentration often starts to drift after two or three pages. I get fidgety, lose the thread, and begin looking for something else to do. I feel as if I’m always dragging my wayward brain back to the text” (Carr 1). The internet forces the brain to divert its attention from the the task in front of them, which causes concerns about education and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder also known as

In the article “Growing Up Digital, Wired for Distraction,” Matt Richtel depicts how technology influences kids to procrastinate assignments due to the decline in attention span the Internet helps diminish. First of all, the author believes many kids become wired to procrastinate assignments because of the instant answers they can freely research on the Internet, avoiding doing the work manually. California high schooler Vishal Singh explains the easy shortcut he uses when behind on a book report, expressing how on YouTube “you can get a whole story in six minutes … A book takes so long. I prefer the immediate gratification” (para. 4).

In Matt Richtel’s article “Growing Up Digital, Wired for Distraction” describes how teens nowadays are so addicted to devices schools have provided for them or their own personal devices, that they are getting distracted from their school work. The first point the author makes is is even though schools are doing things such as pushing back the time of first hour to 9:00 am, electronics are still causing the attention spans of teens to decrease. Researchers say that, “developing brains can become more easily habituated than adult brains to constantly switching tasks — and less able to sustain attention.” (par. 6)

In Matt Ritchel’s article “Grow Up Digital, Wired for Distraction” displays that technology and media is making problems for teens as far homework goes, because not all teens review the choices they have so they get distracted and it goes downhill from there not getting their work done or not paying attention to what they’re doing not getting their work done or not paying attention to what they’re doing. The first point the author makes is that teens have always faced distractions and time-wasters, but the new technology has posed a new threat to learning and focusing, and adult brains can have consequences as well but there brains are already developed enough to not be as powerful to them. In the text the author quotes Michael Rich saying,

The point of the first section is that kids are texting no matter what and where ever they are. Researchers say that the brain isn’t developed and they are easily distracted. “The risk, they say, is that developing brains can become more easily habituated than adult brains to constantly switching tasks — and less able to sustain attention.” (1). People’s attention span at a teen age is short makes it hard to stay focused..

After reading “Growing Up Digital, Wired for Distraction” by Matt Richtel, it has opened my eyes to how prevalent and demanding technology as a whole is in the world today and how it directly affects education today. As I continued to read this article, I found myself relating to the mentioned students and it saddens me how true and real of a problem this is becoming. Students like Vishal, who has a dream and passion to become a filmmaker can, in a way, be a death sentence to his focus and demand for his school career. The idea of multitasking is encouraged in this day and age because it encourages a sense of achievement and being an advocate in life. It rises a question, since when did multitasking become an issue when it’s

Don’t listen to them! The internet is a great place to learn and to prosper. It can give a teenager a career in the comfort of their own home. Its not all about playing video games and social media, teens are also out there meeting new people in chat sites from all over the country. But its not always the teens fault, we hammer them with homework assignments and tests that forces them to sit in front of the computer screen for hours. You cant blame the bad use of technology on students when we are the ones putting them in the situation.

Katie Hafner’s article, “Texting May Be Taking a Toll,” displays that the rising number of texts sent by adolescents day in and day out is starting to take a big toll on them, their lifestyle, and the people around them. To start off, in the first part of the article Hafner expresses that the point of the first section is that with a growing number of young people utilizing texting and using it nonstop texting is causing serious issues such as anxiety, failing grades, distraction in school, sleep issues and many others. The author exclaims in the section that, “The phenomenon is beginning to worry physicians and psychologists, who say it is leading to anxiety distraction in school, falling grades, repetitive stress injury and sleep deprivation.”

Some students do not use their digital devices for the good that they have, but for the bad. Many students are more likely to get into serious trouble with they law and have serious legal problems. If students are allowed to use their cell phones in school and they get caught doing illegal things on their digital devices such as sexting, they will be punished by the law. This cause major trouble for some students. Many students will also bully other students more during school hours. If bulling numbers go up it will cause many problems for the school administration. Some students may also stop coming to school if bulling gets to severe. Therefore using digital devices in school causes more problems for the students and the school.

The world around uses too much internet. Teens are way too involved in the cell phones and electronics. If there was a cut back and restriction people could focus in school and be more efficient. There is not anything wrong with technology,but as a whole it has become a problem. Technology makes teens want things more quicker and fast. The

According to Jacob L. Vigdor, an economics professor at Duke University, when students “are left to their own devices, and the impetus isn’t to do homework but play around.” (3) When students are left alone with technology the kid side of them with no responsibilities comes into to play, which leads them to not get their homework done. This can easily become a habit when parents done watch the amount of time kids are on technology. After this it starts to affect the kids grades and ability at school. In the section, “Lure of distractions,” it portrays the point that videogames can be a major distraction for kids and can lead to them either not doing their homework or to even forget the knowledge behind it. In agreement with the author, Dr. Rich says that he believes that, “young, developing brains are becoming rehabilitated to distraction and switching tasks, not to focus.” (6) This explains how technology can affect the way your brain will develops and how you will live the rest of your life. For example, if you grow up with distractions of video games and media then your brain will develop to automatically switch tasks all the time not being able to focus on one thing. The next section, describes the point that technology can give you a different viewpoint on school

Over the years, technology has increased in usage within many ways and has caused successful changes in a person’s lively routine. However, technology has evolved since the very beginning which concern has grown over the negative effects of its excessive use. Nicholas Carr’s article “Is Google Making Us Stupid” addresses the tendency of technology to create a sort of mental laziness where people look for instant answers rather than thinking for themselves. Daphne Bavelier, C. Shawn Green, and Matthew W.G. Dye have written in “Children, Wired: For Better and for Worse” on the transient and persistent effects of technology on children, particularly in terms of media exposure of television, movies, and video games. Additionally, Matt Richtel, writer for The New York Times, states in “Attached to Technology and Paying a Price” that the tendency of the brain to respond to immediate stimuli has a negative impact on the average user, ranging from disinterest to daily tasks to the risky behavior of texting and driving. Ultimately, these three articles agree that regardless of potential conveniences of heavy technology use, the tradeoff is something to be strongly considered.

Furthermore, as communication and writing skills diminish our school performance begins to be affected. The entertainment of mobile devices distracts nearly every student in the classroom whether it is texting, or playing games, or surfing the net. Mobile devices also play a big role in communication by making it possible for students to easily communicate with each other when they should not be. The power to communicate with virtually anyone is a major distraction. Some teens are so attached to their technological devices they sleep with phones on and wake up to answer text messages they get at night. When kids have cell phones in their classrooms they are extremely distracted from what is actually being taught. They are looking down and playing their games or going on social networking sites instead of listening to their teachers. With the constant distraction of technology and teens short attention spans reading and writing skills have suffered significantly and vocabularies are shrinking. This relates to their education and their ability to do well in school. Another problem is that technology provides students with the ability to explore numerous search engines for any problem they come across and copy them word for word. It seems that students don’t spend time thinking; they are simply repeating information instead of learning concepts and ideas. When students do this, they do not actually learn the