Sometimes Less is More in Communication:
The Value of Quiet

There are internet “rescue camps” in China and South Korea which try to save children addicted to the screen. There is Freedom software designed to disable internet connections for up to 8 hours. According to an article in the New York Times (January 1, 2012: “The Joy of Quiet”), the average American spends 8.5 hours a day in front of a screen (cell phone, TV, computer).

These numbers have doubled since 2005-2009. Multi-screening (my term) is on the rise. People watch TV while they are texting or on the computer. The average American teen sends or receives 75 text messages monthly. A girl in Sacramento managed to handle 10,000 texts every 24 hours for a month!

Where are we headed? Maybe all this screen distraction has explained why more people are turning to yoga, meditation and resorts that advertise no TV or internet connections.

Unfortunately, the information age came without guidelines or an instruction manual. As Marshall McLuhan said, “When things come at you very fast, naturally you lose touch with yourself.”  And finally, Thoreau claimed that we have more ways to communicate and less and less to say.

Personally, I have not Tweeted and my Facebook is a professional venue, not personal.

How about you? How do you maintain your quiet?

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