“We Have No Peace; We Have No Off Switch”

Technology evolves faster than the human mind. When I was growing up in the 80’s and 90’s, our main sources of interaction with the broader world were mainly television and radio. The telephone was a thing that sat on a table or hung on the wall; we couldn’t use it to access the news or streaming video. All three of those things were sources of novelty to the generations that first encountered them. Indeed, it used to be considered terrible manners to use a cell phone in a restaurant.

Now the world outside of the family and community is accessible at any time. Marketers and designers know how to optimize websites in such a way that we enjoy the anxiety that accompanies reading the news. In the video below, TD Jakes discusses the effects of technology on mental health. It’s worth asking, is there a way to minimize the negative effects of always being attached to the broader world while also accepting that this is the world in which we, and by extension our children, live? How can we channel this rapidly expanding and accelerating communication into positive directions that bring us closer, rather than scaling up natural human tribalism?

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to be medical advice. If you are experiencing a crisis, please contact emergency services or a mental health hotline.