The dangers of social networking sites: Lady Greenfield is concerned

A British baroness and pharmacologist is concerned about your mental health, dear readers and social network users. 

She told the House of Lords that children's experiences on social networking sites "are devoid of cohesive narrative and long-term significance. As a consequence, the mid-21st century mind might almost be infantilised, characterised by short attention spans, sensationalism, inability to empathise and a shaky sense of identity".

The classic argument about danger to children is wedded to the newer neurological argument.

In a Guardian podcast, Lady Greenfield combines two different charges, one about brain function (cf Marianne Wolf's concerns, uncited as far as I can tell) and one about culture (mistaking friending for friends).  Greenfield combines these into the phrase "screen life."  She goes on to wonder if autism and attention deficit disorders are caused by digital culture.

The pharmacist-baroness also offers a new twist on the language of fearsome cyberspace - it's like meat.  Not meatspace, but butchery:

She said she feared "real conversation in real time may eventually give way to these sanitised and easier screen dialogues, in much the same way as killing, skinning and butchering an animal to eat has been replaced by the convenience of packages of meat on the supermarket shelf. Perhaps future generations will recoil with similar horror at the messiness, unpredictability and immediate personal involvement of a three-dimensional, real-time interaction."

Fascinating, too, to see the replacement logic persist - rather than augmenting or simply adding on, the technology appears as a substitute.

Note, too, Greenfield's nostalgia for tv, as compared to the internet.  In the Guardian podcast she argues that television was social, a family gathering node.  Fascinating to see our technological back-formation going on here, with "vast wasteland" being reconceived as hearth.

(via The Lede)

Comments

[Steve Himmer]

But without social networking sites, what will keep our children from listening to jazz music after dark?

[Steve B]

The Mind Hacks blog covered this topic as well in this post wherein "[Greenfield] admits there is no evidence but then goes on to warn of the dangers". Umm, what?
The last link in the Mind Hacks blog post is to Ben Goldacre's post on his blog Bad Science where he provides the references he promised in the BBC video interview (available from links in both blog posts).

[Ed Webb]

TV is the new family dinner-time, and the interwebs the new TV? McLuhan is giggling, somewhere.

Also, more techno-fear on my blog - http://the-ed-rush.blogspot.com/2009/02/daily-mail-shines-once-more.html

[Charles Cameron (hipbone)]

Ah, Bryan, Bryan.

> with "vast wasteland" being reconceived as hearth

Nicely turned, that phrase...

[Rob]

'short attention spans' & 'sensationalism'; it has already happened, m'Lady. Sorry.

When I was in college, a couple of (successful) guys told me the reason that I had not yet gotten laid was that I was attempting to have meaningful conversations with girls. 'That scares them away', these guys said... 'Say only what they expect to hear, and bounce their words back at them. Reveal nothing of yourself'. Worked like a charm.