BOOK REVIEWS

Review by Stacie Lawrence

Distracted: The Erosion of Attention and the Coming Dark Age

This book is amazing.
First of all the last 60 pages of the book include an Index (20 pages),
and some serious Endnotes (40 pages)!
I really appreciate this in a book that is not really meant to be read as a textbook,
it has experiences, advice, research, methods, heart, and soul!
It is informative and the resources are easy to find
if you are interested in further reading.

For example - in Chapter 3 on Judgement,
Of Molly's Gaze and Taylor's Watch:
Why More is Less in a Split-Screen World, 
Jackson tells a story of a 14 month old baby girl - Molly.
She describes a study done
watching Molly play
with the distraction of Elmo, from Sesame Street,
on television in the background.

Daniel Anderson, the psychologist,
 with Tiffany Pempek - [see references below],
are doing research
 and they notice that Molly is not making a conscious decision to watch television
 but that she is being pulled away from her playing by the distraction of the television.

What they report is that the
"television attracts us because
 its content can challenge our cognition" (Jackson, 72).
In particular, that when the program is fast and stimulating it draws attention from otherwise interactive play but when the program is too calm or slow the attention slips away.
This "ingenious" study looked at what "hooks" viewers
and it brought awareness to how
 television viewing was changing
"off-screen life during ...on-air moment(s)", [noted byJackson].

I use this example to illustrate that Maggie Jackson makes the information interesting, accessible and relevant.
And to a reader who might find this study specifically interesting and thus wanting to learn more Jacksons research for this book is very well documented in the Endnotes.
With the index it is easy to see where Jackson may have addressed a similar subject matter, this makes for quick work finding more sources of information and references.

Personally I found her research enlightening -
 I had never really pondered the thought of exactly
 how we came to be so hooked on television and media entertainment.
Further, here we are, in an age that I propose is technologically changed.
I believe that our "off-screen life" has been altered
 because we are being so saturated with "on-air moments"
(Anderson, 508).

Jackson goes on to say that television is contributing to children being less able to engage in focused play, even suggesting that television is contributing to more individuals with the characteristics of attention-deficient children.
She states even "parents are ...distracted, interacting 20 percent less with their kids and relating passively" and that "more than half of children ages eight to eighteen live in homes where the TV is on most of the time." (Jackson, 73)

Maggie Jacksons book is broken into Three Parts
with three sections:  Focus, Judgement, and Awareness

Chapters include:
Tracing the Roots of an Attention-Deficient Culture

Part 1:  Exploring our Landscape of Distraction
Focus - Emailing the Dead and Other Forays into Virtual Living
Judgement - Why More is Less in a Split-Screen World
Awareness - Portable Clocks and Little Black Boxes:  The Sticking Point of Mobility

Part 2:  Pursuing the Narrowing Path
Focus - Invisible Tethers:  The Delicate Art of Surveillance-Based Love
Judgement - Book and Word on the "Edge of Chaos"
Awareness - The Post-Human Age:  A Battle for Our Attention

Part 3:  Dark Times...Or Renaissance of Attention?
McThinking and the Future of the Past
The Gift of Attention



All this and more ....reading Distracted by Maggie Jackson!


In writing the Forward to this book Bill McKibben discusses his awareness of distractions in his life.
He states "Distraction has always been a human condition". (Jackson, 9)  "This book, remarkable impressive both for its wealth of detail and the clarity of its synthesis, forces our attention on that inattention." (Forward, Bill McKibben in Jackson, 10)

Jackson herself says that she did not set out to write a book on attention. She "was curious why so many Americans are deeply dissatisfied with life, feeling stressed" (Jackson, 25), and that "more than half typically have to juggle too many tasks simultaneously and/or are so often interrupted that they find it difficult to get work done (Jackson, 17 from Galinsky, see Endnotes).


  What I found in my reading Maggie Jacksons book was with the ease of technology we have a lot of wonderful benefits, but also we find ourselves slacking or lacking in significant areas.  The immediate gratification of an instant message, an email alert, a snap chat - a "like" on Facebook takes our attention from things that matter most.  Like Bill McKibben noticed after reading the book Distracted, I too have been much more aware of the things that shouldn't matter taking precedence over those things that do.  If I am so concerned about the number of notifications that add up to whether I am "liked" enough than I am losing sight of the things that I sincerely like - my family, my friends, my peace (and quiet) of mind!  This book made me think about those things more.

In the final chapter titled The Gift of Attention Jackson asks "Can attention be trained?" (254).  She summarizes that it is in how we pay attention.  "Splitting one's focus between a work project and one's child demotes both to half a priority each".
This single, and significant, statement
makes me as a parent want to focus my attention on what matters most.

Jackson defines distraction using the Oxford English Dictionary:  "drawing away (of the mind of thoughts) from one point or course to another; diversion of the mind or attention, usually in the adverse sense." (Jackson, 259).  She goes on to say that "attention is not always within our control" but that to reverse the adverse effects of inattention and distraction "we must understand, strengthen, and lastly value attention."

With the examples, the research, the stories shared, and the attention to detail, Maggie Jackson writes an informative text that will help you to evaluate distractions in your own life and more important to recognize what you value more.

If you, or someone you know, is Distracted - you don't want to miss this great literary experience!

While looking into this book I came across this blog post written by the author herself, Maggie Jackson.  Here is a link to Encyclopedia Britannica and the post titled:  Multitasking, the problem: Distracted and Dangerous.

Pretty interesting stuff!

Leave us a comment below if you have read the book before

 or if you have a question or insight about what you have learned from our reviews.

Book Reference:  Jackson, M. (2009). Distracted. The Erosion of Attention and the Coming Dark Ages. Prometheus Books. Amherst, New York.

Additional Reference [from Endnote]:

Daniel Anderson and Tiffany Pempek, "Television and Very Young Children," American Behavioral Scientist 48, no. 5 (January 2005): 505-22, p. 508 used for this reference.

Galinsky, E. et al., Overwork in America:  When the Way We Work Becomes Too Much. (New York:  Families and Work Institute, 2005), pp 2-4

Cyber Junkie

Review by: Stephanie Stevens

I have to be honest and say that I was not excited to read a book about cyber addiction. I am not a fan of self-help type of books. I know some people love them and find them very useful to read. I am not one of those people. I like to read fantasy novels. Unfortunately I could not find any fantasy novels about cyber addiction. While searching through Barnes and Noble I came to the realization that I would have to read a self-help type of book. I became highly discouraged and did not look forward to doing this. In my search for a book that would fit into this topic I came across the book Cyber Junkie by Kevin Roberts. Mr. Roberts is a recovering video game addict and now offers help to other addicts. He is nationally recognized for his expertise on video game addiction and because of that he is asked to speak at many conferences.

In the first 2 chapters he informs you on why people become addicted to video games and the internet. He also gives information on the different types of video games and cyber activities. In chapters 3 and 4 you learn about the science and behavior behind addiction. In chapters 5 and 6 you learn of his own addiction history and read stories of others. He also goes into how he recovered and how he helps others to recover. In the last chapter he gives ideas and suggestions of how loved ones can help someone with a cyber or video game addiction.

After reading this book I believe what he says aligns with current research on cyber addiction. On page 165 he says, “People who struggle with cyber addiction often have other issues just below the surface” (Roberts, 2010). This is a common theme throughout his book. He gives numerous examples of people who struggled with gaming and cyber addiction and what were the real issues behind the addiction. The issues vary from depression, loneliness, not fitting in, lack of control, and escaping bad situations. He discusses how teens are plugged in almost 24 hours a day. They are on their smart phones during school, on the computer when they get home, and texting as they go to sleep. He points out some negative affects because of this, “Excessive video gaming and/or computer usage accompanies poor academic performance about 80 percent of the time” (Roberts, 2010).

One thing that he writes that I found very helpful were some warning signs of cyber addiction. These can be found on pages 65 and 66. I will list a few of them: time warp, lying about activities, changes in sleep, withdrawal, losing interest, buying game items or skills with real money, mood swings, and obsession. The list goes on but he says that “four of more of these characteristics exhibited persistently for more than three months should trigger an alarm” (Roberts, 2010). 
Social skills is something that I believe (and research backs me up) is damaged by excessive screen time. Roberts agrees with this. He believes that people become stuck at the developmental level they were when their addiction took hold and that they are lacking many social skills because of it. On page 86 he states, “In the video game world, children can pursue entertainment in ways that isolate them from everyone else. Excessive video gaming definitely retards social development” (Roberts, 2010).

In the last chapter he gives some excellent ideas of how parents can help their children. They are: “talk about the potential problem; if you can’t beat them, join them; restrict screen time; screen time as a reward” (Roberts, 2010). I recommend reading the book to get details on what he means and how to accomplish these ideas.

I believe Kevin has a great passion about helping others with gaming and internet addictions. He had the same problems and because of that he offers very personal and useful insight into what it is like to be an addict. In the book he gives multiple examples from his own addiction story and that of several others he has known and worked with. As I said before I am not a fan of self-help books. The reason for that is I feel that they are usually written in a text book style. They are boring to read. Cyber Junkie is not written that way. It is an easy read and flows nicely. He writes in a way that allows everyone to understand and keeps you reading. I found this book to be very insightful and has helped me become aware of my own internet usage. I recommend this book for anyone who knows someone with a gaming or internet addiction or someone who just wants to become more informed and aware of their own habits.

 Roberts, K. (2010). Cyber Junkie. Center City: Hazelden.

Book Review: Parenting Well in a Media Age

Review by Allison Sheffield

I didn’t know what to expect before reading this book because I’ve never read a book about parenting.  I’ve taken a lot of parenting classes at the University though so I’ve felt pretty educated about parenting subjects.  The book Parenting Well in a Media Age, by Gloria DeGaetano, discusses the parenting challenges that face parents today as a result of our industry-generated culture.  She mostly discusses children spending too much time watching TV, but also takes into account music, and video games.  She does not address social networking much. 

What I really liked about this book was that DeGaetano gives references from research as well as relatable examples.  My favorite parts of the book was when she gives specific examples of what to say and how to talk to your child that will help him/her grow in that essential need.  These examples are also separated into ages; so she gives examples on how to talk to your toddler, middle-aged child, and teenager.  She also gives specific example of activities to do with your child of specific ages as well. 

One part of the book that really spoke to me was when DeGaetano discussed creative thinking in children and image making. She said that children, “Are limited to thinking in the images that the media has provided for them,” (DeGaetano, 2004, 9).  She explained that in drawing, or writing stories, children could not think up their own characters or plots: they could only think about a super hero that they have seen on TV.  That was surprising for me how much television can really limit a child’s creativity and motivated me to use other methods to spark my toddler’s creativity. 

After reading the book I decided to try to have the television on less at my house. According to DeGaetano, this can help increase, “A loving parent-child bond, a rich inner life, the capacity for image-making, the ability for creative expression, and participating as a contributor,” (DeGaetano, 2004, 56). While having the television off at my house I noticed a lot of things.  I am extremely guilty of letting my toddler watch shows while I put my infant down for a nap or feed her.  It is easy and quiet.  It was fun to see what my son was able to come up with to do on his own while I fed her. I saw his imagination sparking and saw how his own ideas were flowing through his head.  One surprising thing that I noticed was that I was more patient with him and he was more patient with me while the TV was off in our house.  Tyler was more willing to wait for me to play with him while I finished doing a household chore, than if he was waiting while watching a TV show.  The best part was that I could see a difference in our parent-child bond when we were able to spark conversations and talk more about feelings than we would if we had a show on.  DeGaetano discusses the importance of a face-to-face interaction when trying to increase a parent-child bond.

I would recommend reading this book for any parent because it has great ideas for alternatives to television for all ages of children.  These ideas are well in line with the research I have read for my other three blog posts.  She writes in a very relatable way and doesn’t write in a way that condemns parents for allowing their children to watch television.  TV is going to be an inevitable part of people’s lives and she explains why taking it in moderation can benefit families.  She empowers parents in taking the initiative to limit their children’s television usage. 

DeGaetano, Gloria. Parenting Well in a Media Age: Keeping Our Kids Human. Fawnskin, CA: Personhood, 2004. Print.

Book Review: Youth and Internet Addiction in China

Review by Jonathan


There are a lot of books out there about technology and internet addiction.  When I saw this book about Chinese internet addiction it caught my eye because these problems do not just affect people in the United States, but anywhere where technology is increasing in people’s lives.  This was an interesting read.  I kind of did not want to read it at first, but it is written in an interesting way and it helped keep my attention going. 

The book starts out with a researcher talking about his experience of going into the world of Chinese game playing and internet cafés.   When a researcher places themselves into a situation to research it firsthand this is called ethnographic research.  The researcher interviewed people as he went about playing games and also going to various places that help people with internet addiction problems.  He gives examples of parents drugging their children and taking them to rehab facilities so they will break their addictions and focus on school, homework, and their future.

The main point that the author wants to make is that from his research internet addiction in China was mostly caused by the poor relationships from parents or parent figures.  These poor relationships caused the children to turn to fictional games and friends on the internet that were more supportive and nicer than their parents appeared to be. 

The book is backed up by the research of the author and his firsthand account of people he interviewed.  He goes through a quite thorough analysis of the psychological definition from the DSM-IV on internet addiction and how this does not quite fit with what problems they see with children and internet addiction.  He goes on to look at an altered definition that aligns with his research based on a humanistic model.

I think that the author does a good job writing and informing through his examples and experiences that he shares.  His research may not translate so much to the entire world.  It may be that in China children are using the internet as an escape and that may be true in the United States as well, but there still seems to be evidence that there is addictive behavior caused by the internet and it is not just a social problem.  

Overall I liked the book for how easy it was to read and for the interesting look at internet addiction.  I would recommend it for an interesting read, but I would take caution to accepting all the conclusions of the author.

Reference:
Bax, Trent (2013). Youth and Internet Addiction in China. Retrieved from  

                      http://www.eblib.com