Turned on and Tuned Out: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Managing Tech Dependence

A West Coast college student withdraws from school at the end of his third year because his class schedule was interfering with his World of Warcraft gaming sessions. Relationships are deteriorating, and depression potentially increasing in those extensively involved in social networking. The accumulated hours of wasted human potential are staggering. In some cases, workers spend hours playing games well into the early hours of the next morning and as a result can barely function the next day. Many tell me how often they require a caffeine boost or energy drink to give them the energy to function after spending half the night playing video or online games. With full awareness of all of the benefits of technology, John Kriger takes the risk to examine the negative ways many people are using technology today. This practical examination takes nothing away from modern advances but confronts head-on the potentially negative impact of constant texting, hyper gaming, social isolation, and other potentially destructive behaviors.