Addictive Technology

New Scientist has an interesting article on a group of researchers from Northampton University studying the effects of habit-forming technology. "We need to pay attention to how people react to potentially habit-forming technologies and respond with appropriate education and policies," explains Nada Kakabadse. It's true that advances in technology may often come with unwanted side-effects. With the constant connectivity they offer Blackberry's, iPhones and other PDA's definitely have the potential to be overused and take time away from more productive activities. I wonder what kind of warning label these products should start coming out with. Maybe a section of the user's manual could be dedicated to recognizing the signs of addiction to this particular technology and ways to prevent it from taking over your life. Video game console manufacturers should certainly look into doing something like this so they can avoid the blame for all the wasted time their products have helped bring about. Most people wouldn't read the additional material anyway, this way at least the company could say they've done their part. I agree that more research should be done on the effects of technology in people's daily lives. I also hope that there will always be a few people with enough restraint to prevent technology addiction from becoming an epidemic.