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    iDisorder: Understanding Our Obsession with Technology and Overcoming Its Hold on Us
    iDisorder: Understanding Our Obsession with Technology and Overcoming Its Hold on Us
    iDisorder: Understanding Our Obsession with Technology and Overcoming Its Hold on Us
    Audiobook8 hours

    iDisorder: Understanding Our Obsession with Technology and Overcoming Its Hold on Us

    Written by Larry D. Rosen, Ph.D.

    Narrated by Stephen Hoye

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    iDisorder: changes to your brain's ability to process information and your ability to relate to the world due to your daily use of media and technology, resulting in signs and symptoms of psychological disorders, such as stress, sleeplessness, and a compulsive need to check in with all of your technology. Based on decades of research and expertise in the "psychology of technology," Dr. Larry Rosen offers clear, down-to-earth explanations for why many of us are suffering from an "iDisorder." Rosen provides solid, proven strategies to help us overcome the iDisorder we all feel in our lives, while still making use of all that technology offers. Our world is not going to change, and technology will continue to penetrate society even deeper, leaving us little chance to react to the seemingly daily additions to our lives. Rosen teaches us how to stay human in an increasingly technological world.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateMar 26, 2012
    ISBN9781452677163

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    Reviews for iDisorder

    3.5/5

    22 ratings7 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Are you worried that you may have an unhealthy relationship with your smartphone or computer? Are these devices taking over your life to the point that you’re ignoring real face-to-face communication opportunities? Does it make you extremely stressed when you find yourself in a situation where you’re unable to check your incoming texts, emails, or Facebook for a few hours? Perhaps you know someone close to you who has these problems. If so, Larry Rosen’s most recent popular psychology self-help book, “iDisorder: Understanding Our Obsessions with Technology and Overcoming its Hold on Us,” might be the perfect antidote. The book is easy to read and is full of interesting examples and stories. It is a collaborative effort by three professors working at the George March Applied Cognition Laboratory at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH): Larry Rosen, Nancy Cheever, and Mark Carrier. It was designed as a psychological self-help book aimed at helping people recognize and overcome their obsessions with technology. Dr. Rosen is a recognized international expert on the “Psychology of Technology.” In this work, he and his collaborative authors bring to light a number of interesting studies they have carried out in this area of study at their CSUDH laboratory. The book has a large useful section of academic footnotes at the end.According to the authors, our “overreliance on gadgets and websites has created an enmeshed relationship with technology and this relationship can cause significant problems in our psyche.” They call these problems iDisorders and they are convinced that much of the technology that we use daily “coerce us to act in ways that may be detrimental to our well-being.” The authors are not arguing that “we are all crazy and technology is to blame;” rather they aim to show that often “our actions and behaviors when we use technology make us appear out of control.” It’s essential that readers cover the first chapter thoroughly, and naturally, it’s always a good idea to examine the concluding chapter. But the authors encourage complete flexibility in the ten chapters in between. The authors encourage us to read these ten chapters in whatever order we find interesting or to skip any chapter that we feel may not apply to us or be of interest. Each of these ten chapters covers a specific common psychiatric disorder; all are communication disorders. The ten disorders are: 1) narcissism; 2) obsessive-compulsive disorder; 3) addiction; 4) depression, bipolar disorder, and mania; 5) attention-deficit disorder; 6) social phobia, antisocial personality disorder, and autism; 7) hypochondriasis, 8) body dysmorphic disorder 9) schizo-disorders, and 10) voyeurism. In each chapter, the authors discuss clinical psychological studies that show how modern technology either imbue us all with signs and symptoms of one of these psychiatric communication disorders or else exacerbate and increase existing symptoms. In all cases, the authors demonstrate how psychologically and emotionally unhealthy this can be, then clearly and succinctly set out concrete suggestions to help rid us of these problems. Most of the solutions are sensible and achievable by motivated individuals; however, some are may be downright difficult to implement. For example, if you are addicted to reality TV and it is exacerbating your already existing mild narcissistic tendencies and pushing you along the path toward a body dysmorphic disorder, the author’s suggest that you “take a nature break.” If you’re mildly addicted to a specific reality TV show, that might work, but if you are so enamored with a series and caught up with the characters and their situations that you can’t wait for the next episode, I don’t think this type of addict is going to willingly take a “nature break” instead of watching the next episode.This book should please people who enjoy psychology self help books; it’s light, easily understood, and contains a lot of fascinating anecdotes. The book appears—at least on the surface—to be applicable to just about anyone except total Luddites. The authors have designed the text so that almost all of us will see ourselves mirrored in many of the behaviors covered in these chapters. However, if you have read a lot of psychology books and already have a fair understanding about the ten disorders covered in the main chapters, and you also have a fair understanding about the dangers of technology and the basics of staying mentally healthy in our stressful, chaotic, and overstimulated world—or even if you have an unusually good mind and strong common sense—this book will probably not suit your needs. It is specifically aimed at the psychological novice and I recommend it to that audience. If on the other hand, you’re addicted to psychological self-help books, and specifically to those which discuss the dangers of modern technology, then this book is right up your alley…and I recommend it to you, too…but I need to add that you should see yourself clearly in Chapter Four on addiction. Whether or not you’ll abide by the suggestions you find there at the end of the chapter…well, I’d be curious to know. Please, leave me a comment if you do!
    • 2/5
      I don't know that there's a lot about this book that is profound -- much of his ideas are somewhat common sense, he just backs it up with references it with scientific studies. (The research is presented with enough science to be "official" but without the depth and technicality you'd find in actual scientic papers.)Rosen goes through mental disorders currently recognized by the community and connects them with current technology-addictions. Some chapters are more convincing than others. I was disappointed with the voyeur chapter because it did not touch on cyber-stalking or facebook lurking to much depth. The "quiz" he cites is more about opportunistic spying than intentional spying, for example. The narrative gets repetitive at times, and he uses a lot of filler to expand his points. However, I don't have any fundamental disagreements with his proposals that we are becoming digitally obsessed. Most of the helpful hints at the end of each chapter are practical for people who are addicted to their digital device(s).
    • 4/5
      One of the sources for this book is quoted as follows: "What I’ve been doing over the last few months is attempting to convince people that we’re facing an issue that’s as important and unprecedented as climate change. And I call it ‘mind change’ because I think there’s certain parallels."

      I would tend to agree.

      This book outlines the impact that the heavy use of technology is having on people - and it isn't good.

      Dr. Rosen doesn't propose the impossible - to get rid of it entirely. However, he advocates increased self-awareness of one's own habits. Most importantly, he provides a roadmap to parents and educators (now the last generation to know life before the Internet and cell phones) for helping young people develop healthy tech habits.

      The book spends a great deal of time on a few types of psychological disorders - narcissism, lack of empathy, sexual dysfunction, eating/body perception disorders, depression, mania, ADD/ADHD etc. Dr. Rosen explains how most people deal with some of these issues to varying degrees throughout their lifetimes and mostly with no serious problems. However, when one throws Internet/tech into the mix, these conditions are exacerbated - and to a dangerous degree for some and at least detrimental to most.

    • 4/5
      In his new book, Larry Rosen takes on our emerging and increasingly undeniable obsession with 21st century digital gadgetry. iDisorder is the name he gives the disconnect between using our mobile devices "healthfully"—I don't think we can even know what this means yet—and how we currently use them.
    • 4/5
      The psych major in me loved this book while the '40-something throwback to the 80s' was horrified by these tech-obsessed people. Social media is fun but I certainly don't need to update my Facebook status every 15 minutes or sleep with my cell phone (already I do quite like my book-related sites!). This is a great book for people who have friends/loved ones who are more than a little obsessed with the internet and electronic gadgets as it offers suggestions on how to deal with them and on what underlying factors could be influencing this behaviour.
    • 4/5
      I got this book as an Early Reviewer for Library Thing. I actually found it really entertaining (and a little bit scary). Basically, Larry Rosen takes common disorders found in the Diagnostic manual for mental health - like narcissism, obsessive compulsive disorder, mania and body image problems to name a few - and then shows how our excessive media use can make these issues worse if we tend towards them. There are lots of little quizzes - I gave both my boys the quiz to see if they were addicted to the Internet - and research findings. The most shocking to me? A large percentage of Americans check their email and Facebook before the EVEN GET OUT OF BED in the morning!! whaaaaaa?
    • 5/5
      Dr. Rosen and his colleagues create a new term - iDisorder - to represent the impact of technology on people in ways that are similar to full-blown psychological disorders. It's a rich text full of descriptions of scientific research performed to test out the relationship between technology and our mental well-being. Each chapter deals with a particular type of "iDisorder" - ADHD, narcissism, depression, and so on - and talks about where it falls on the spectrum between being problematic and what I suppose would be called a clinical problem. The authors suggest ways to reduce the negative impact of technology and are explicit that the answer is generally not to eliminate technology.The writing is engaging although I found some of the chapters more interesting - particularly chapter 2, which deals with narcissism and also touches on social capital - than others. As the authors mention at the start, it's a book that can easily be picked up for a specific chapter, rather than having to be read cover to cover.This would be a great book for parents dealing with the challenges of figuring out how to understand how and whether their children should be using technology. It would be an excellent addition for public libraries as well, since adults are just as likely to experience the same challenges managing their own technology behavior. It offers plenty of food for thought in our hyper-connected world.[This review is based on the paperback edition]