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Basic Input Output System 
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June 12, 2010
 

"Mind Over Mass Media"  →

Yes, the constant arrival of information packets can be distracting or addictive, especially to people with attention deficit disorder. But distraction is not a new phenomenon. The solution is not to bemoan technology but to develop strategies of self-control, as we do with every other temptation in life. Turn off e-mail or Twitter when you work, put away your Blackberry at dinner time, ask your spouse to call you to bed at a designated hour.
via nytimes.com

… and I think we should create more digital tools that help people develop these kinds of strategies. Tuning off is just one of many imaginable scenarios for self-control and it demands a lot of self-discipline. What if our digital toolset for information and communication would suggest and motivate us in some way to enjoy some silent periods every now and then?

That's the good thing about advertising breaks on TV: most people I know actually leave their television set for a few minutes, going to the bathroom or their balcony for some fresh air, a drink – or a cigarette.

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June 9, 2010
 

We need digital communication tools that better balance distraction and focus.  →

Some time ago, I was researching existing digital communication tools together with a fellow. We started with certain irritation and doubt: why would somebody need another tool for communicating? In the beginning we were like: okay, there might be potential for the non-geeks, the late adopters, the average user, the mainstream (whatever this means). For the tech savvy like us, we felt, there's already enough choice of instruments and platforms.

To wholeheartedly research communication tools, you have to become an active user (at least for some time). To truly experience a product, to feel the assets and drawbacks of a supposed solution, you have to push the envelope of the default paths and settings. So it didn't take long until we figured out how much we very well need another digital communication tool. Namely an environment that doesn't force ourselves to adjust to something and isn't only designed around distraction, but also concentrated on focus. Something that adapts to our behaviours, grows with our needs and motivates us to also actively optimize our communication patterns. 

Really, take a look at your own information and communication habits and behaviours. Oberserve yourself a single day or week. Take the time to reflect these things and I'm sure you'll be enlightened and inspired! To get things started, I recommend you read the lurid-sounding but quite balanced First Steps to Digital Detox – mixed voices of scientists collected by the New York Times resonating the challenges of digital media and electronic devices and proposing simple approaches for self-healing.

I'm the last to lament about information overload. I really love new digital technologies and enjoy the plurality they bring. Scattering your mind and Divergent thinking are great and important things and a basis for discovery and invention. And I'm convinced all new things start quite hysterically, are asking too much of us and it takes some time to level off. But I'm also more and more confident that we need to think about these issues more profoundly. We should drastically challenge ourselves. We need to create environments that favor social interaction and communication between humans. Technology has to provide for that. People shouldn't need to adjust to and run after technology.

I think most digital communication tools fall short today: distraction and focus are not really well-balanced. As a start: why isn't there something that does to digital communication what Readability or Instapaper do to reading, what Ommwriter or Writeroom do to writing, what Isolator does for the Mac OS X Finder?

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