My first time watching Oculus, I did not have any particular impression of it other than its horror aspects. However, upon rewatching the movie several times, it dawned on me how the main “character” of the movie, the Lesser Glass, holds multiple similarities with something which has recently become the core of human development: technology. I was fascinated by how the mirror reflects technology in real life, specifically on problematic effects that technology create. In the movie, the mirror is believed to have driven the parents of the Russell family to insanity. Correspondingly, technology has been diagnosed as a significant source of issues in mental health, typically leading to depression or anxiety. My research explored deeper into the negative effects of technology on different aspects of both personal and social life. The research will inform my adaptation of a fully technology-dependent family in a compact urban megacity. In my adaptation, I will give technology an independent mind, make it become more than just inanimate objects that serve as tools for human’s needs and delve into how the family would struggle to function under an uncontrollable technology system. My purpose is to put extra emphasis on technology’s influences towards our mental health and social wellness. The adaptation will serve as a reminder that everyone needs to limit their dependence on technology because of how unstable it can be.
Annotated Bibliography
“It's Time to Confront Student Mental Health Issues Associated with Smartphones and Social Media” *
This report points out trends that relate technology use, specifically smartphone and social media, and “higher stress, sleep disturbances, and depression” (Cain). The author also makes a connection that by making comparisons with others’ lives, social media users would often feel envious, depressed and less happy. In the discussion about smartphones, Jeff Cain states that “the mere presence of a smartphone reduces cognitive capacity by keeping the user on ‘alert.’” The report will inform my project on what resultant mental health issues will be the consequences of the irresponsible use of smartphones and social media.
“Adolescent sleep and cellular phone use: recent trends and implications for research” *
This article focuses on describing teenagers’ sleep patterns and the effects on their health caused by sleep deprivation; it also makes connections between sleep patterns and technology. The information that I focus on is not the sleep pattern itself but rather on the ultimate result caused by the initial immoderate use of technology. According to Adams et al., “greater levels of tech use during sleep time predicted lower sleep quality, and lower sleep quality increased depressive/anxious symptomatology.” They also state that sleep deprivation in adolescents, in which technology use plays a significant role,
… can affect cognitive functioning and has been linked to reduced short-term memory, decreased learning ability, poor productivity, and decreased motor performance. Mood is also significantly affected, with sleep deprivation associated with negative mood states, depressive symptoms, decreased stress management, family and peer conflict, impulsivity, and the loss of other forms of behavioral control.
The information on how inadequate sleep, due to the use of technology, can negatively affect physiological and psychological health will allow me to better create a realistic environment caused by technology dependence.
“Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?”
This article covers almost all of the negative influences from smartphones towards the generation which the author Jean Twenge called the “iGen”, typically applicable to people born in between the year 1995 and 2012. The analysis claims that there is a recent decline in social interactions, as well as working experience in teenagers. This is most likely due to both of those aspects had been a way for teenagers to socialize in the past, but now such socialization no longer requires going out because technology already allows socializing without leaving home. Moreover, because of teenagers’ over attention in their smartphones, although spending much more time in proximity, family interactions have decreased. Similar to other articles, Twenge has also stated that “the more time teens spend looking at screens, the more likely they are to report symptoms of depression.” The information in this article gives me an overview of almost all the harmful effects that technology, or more specifically smartphones, can have on teenagers. It is obvious that these effects don’t apply exclusively to teenagers but to anyone who uses technology in the same way. This information would allow my adaptation to have a much more accurate representation of the habits of technologically dependent people.
“Turn Off That Smartphone, Mom and Dad!”
This article explains how parents’ ignorance of their children due to smartphone overuse can affect the children’s social and emotional development. According to Dona Matthews, when the mothers are paying more attention to their phones, “children expressed more distress, and were less likely to explore their environment.” More significant than that, parents’ over attention on their phones causes their children to feel unimportant, as the parents would most likely to ignore their children when doing so. It was concluded by researchers that disrupted maternal care can indirectly lead to emotional disorders. This article will inform me of children’s development of social interactions and emotions under parents who pay too much attention to their phones and allow me to better build the family relationships for the characters in my adaptation.
“How to Disrupt Your Brain's Distraction Habit”
This article focuses on how human brains attempt to predict repetitive activities and cause our attention to become fragmented. It explains how the use of technology has made our attention span to be shortened. Whenever our brain predicts an incoming action, it diverts our attention into a specific task, leading to a loss of focus on our original one. According to Markman, frequent use of smartphones or social media will result
… in shifting your attention away from important tasks about every five minutes. You are not controlling this action consciously any more. Your brain has learned this timing and is trying to predict the optimal time to make these checks of your technology, so it interrupts your train of thought frequently to shift you toward incoming messages.
Markman’s analysis will help me gain deeper knowledge into how people’s habits changes as their use of technology become more frequent. This will help my adaptation explore into more realistic characters’ behaviors.
“Are cellphones causing hallucinations? The reason why you felt that 'phantom buzz'”
This article concentrates on explaining the phenomenon that people feel their phone buzzing without it actually happening. Vincente calls the phenomenon “phantom vibration syndrome.” The phenomenon only happens because we have associated random tingling sensations with the vibrations of our phones. The article’s explanations don’t directly help with my adaptation but will help me better understand hallucinations that originate from the use of technology.
Works Cited
Adams, Sue K., et al. "Adolescent sleep and cellular phone use: recent trends and implications for research." Health Services Insights, 2013, p. 99+. Academic OneFile, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A382279731/GPS?u=maine&sid=GPS&xid=3be8934d. Accessed 11 Dec. 2018.
Cain, Jeff. "It's Time to Confront Student Mental Health Issues Associated with Smartphones and Social Media." American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, vol. 82, no. 7, 2018, p. 738+. Academic OneFile, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A562035613/GPS?u=maine&sid=GPS&xid=ee6a3ead. Accessed 11 Dec. 2018.
Markman, Art. “How to Disrupt Your Brain's Distraction Habit” Inc.com, Inc., 25 May 2016, www.inc.com/art-markman/the-real-reason-technology-destroys-your-attention-span-is-timing.html.
Matthews, Donna. “Turn Off That Smartphone, Mom and Dad!” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 23 Nov. 2017, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/going-beyond-intelligence/201711/turn-smartphone-mom-and-dad.
Twenge, Jean M. “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 19 Mar. 2018, www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/has-the-smartphone-destroyed-a-generation/534198/.
Vincente, Chloe. “Are Cellphones Causing Hallucinations? The Reason Why You Felt That 'Phantom Buzz'.” TODAY.com, TODAY, 15 Jan. 2016, www.today.com/series/wired/are-cellphones-causing-hallucinations-reason-why-you-felt-phantom-buzz-t67231.
Annotated Bibliography
“It's Time to Confront Student Mental Health Issues Associated with Smartphones and Social Media” *
This report points out trends that relate technology use, specifically smartphone and social media, and “higher stress, sleep disturbances, and depression” (Cain). The author also makes a connection that by making comparisons with others’ lives, social media users would often feel envious, depressed and less happy. In the discussion about smartphones, Jeff Cain states that “the mere presence of a smartphone reduces cognitive capacity by keeping the user on ‘alert.’” The report will inform my project on what resultant mental health issues will be the consequences of the irresponsible use of smartphones and social media.
“Adolescent sleep and cellular phone use: recent trends and implications for research” *
This article focuses on describing teenagers’ sleep patterns and the effects on their health caused by sleep deprivation; it also makes connections between sleep patterns and technology. The information that I focus on is not the sleep pattern itself but rather on the ultimate result caused by the initial immoderate use of technology. According to Adams et al., “greater levels of tech use during sleep time predicted lower sleep quality, and lower sleep quality increased depressive/anxious symptomatology.” They also state that sleep deprivation in adolescents, in which technology use plays a significant role,
… can affect cognitive functioning and has been linked to reduced short-term memory, decreased learning ability, poor productivity, and decreased motor performance. Mood is also significantly affected, with sleep deprivation associated with negative mood states, depressive symptoms, decreased stress management, family and peer conflict, impulsivity, and the loss of other forms of behavioral control.
The information on how inadequate sleep, due to the use of technology, can negatively affect physiological and psychological health will allow me to better create a realistic environment caused by technology dependence.
“Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?”
This article covers almost all of the negative influences from smartphones towards the generation which the author Jean Twenge called the “iGen”, typically applicable to people born in between the year 1995 and 2012. The analysis claims that there is a recent decline in social interactions, as well as working experience in teenagers. This is most likely due to both of those aspects had been a way for teenagers to socialize in the past, but now such socialization no longer requires going out because technology already allows socializing without leaving home. Moreover, because of teenagers’ over attention in their smartphones, although spending much more time in proximity, family interactions have decreased. Similar to other articles, Twenge has also stated that “the more time teens spend looking at screens, the more likely they are to report symptoms of depression.” The information in this article gives me an overview of almost all the harmful effects that technology, or more specifically smartphones, can have on teenagers. It is obvious that these effects don’t apply exclusively to teenagers but to anyone who uses technology in the same way. This information would allow my adaptation to have a much more accurate representation of the habits of technologically dependent people.
“Turn Off That Smartphone, Mom and Dad!”
This article explains how parents’ ignorance of their children due to smartphone overuse can affect the children’s social and emotional development. According to Dona Matthews, when the mothers are paying more attention to their phones, “children expressed more distress, and were less likely to explore their environment.” More significant than that, parents’ over attention on their phones causes their children to feel unimportant, as the parents would most likely to ignore their children when doing so. It was concluded by researchers that disrupted maternal care can indirectly lead to emotional disorders. This article will inform me of children’s development of social interactions and emotions under parents who pay too much attention to their phones and allow me to better build the family relationships for the characters in my adaptation.
“How to Disrupt Your Brain's Distraction Habit”
This article focuses on how human brains attempt to predict repetitive activities and cause our attention to become fragmented. It explains how the use of technology has made our attention span to be shortened. Whenever our brain predicts an incoming action, it diverts our attention into a specific task, leading to a loss of focus on our original one. According to Markman, frequent use of smartphones or social media will result
… in shifting your attention away from important tasks about every five minutes. You are not controlling this action consciously any more. Your brain has learned this timing and is trying to predict the optimal time to make these checks of your technology, so it interrupts your train of thought frequently to shift you toward incoming messages.
Markman’s analysis will help me gain deeper knowledge into how people’s habits changes as their use of technology become more frequent. This will help my adaptation explore into more realistic characters’ behaviors.
“Are cellphones causing hallucinations? The reason why you felt that 'phantom buzz'”
This article concentrates on explaining the phenomenon that people feel their phone buzzing without it actually happening. Vincente calls the phenomenon “phantom vibration syndrome.” The phenomenon only happens because we have associated random tingling sensations with the vibrations of our phones. The article’s explanations don’t directly help with my adaptation but will help me better understand hallucinations that originate from the use of technology.
Works Cited
Adams, Sue K., et al. "Adolescent sleep and cellular phone use: recent trends and implications for research." Health Services Insights, 2013, p. 99+. Academic OneFile, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A382279731/GPS?u=maine&sid=GPS&xid=3be8934d. Accessed 11 Dec. 2018.
Cain, Jeff. "It's Time to Confront Student Mental Health Issues Associated with Smartphones and Social Media." American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, vol. 82, no. 7, 2018, p. 738+. Academic OneFile, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A562035613/GPS?u=maine&sid=GPS&xid=ee6a3ead. Accessed 11 Dec. 2018.
Markman, Art. “How to Disrupt Your Brain's Distraction Habit” Inc.com, Inc., 25 May 2016, www.inc.com/art-markman/the-real-reason-technology-destroys-your-attention-span-is-timing.html.
Matthews, Donna. “Turn Off That Smartphone, Mom and Dad!” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 23 Nov. 2017, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/going-beyond-intelligence/201711/turn-smartphone-mom-and-dad.
Twenge, Jean M. “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 19 Mar. 2018, www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/has-the-smartphone-destroyed-a-generation/534198/.
Vincente, Chloe. “Are Cellphones Causing Hallucinations? The Reason Why You Felt That 'Phantom Buzz'.” TODAY.com, TODAY, 15 Jan. 2016, www.today.com/series/wired/are-cellphones-causing-hallucinations-reason-why-you-felt-phantom-buzz-t67231.