Obsession with Technology Examined in Wellness Presentation
Abstract
Larry Rosen, an expert on the “psychology of technology,” offers advice on how to stay human in an increasingly technological world in a Lawrence University wellness presentation.
Based on his 2012 book of the same name, Rosen presents “iDisorder: Understanding our Obsession with Technology and Overcoming its Hold on Us,” Monday, Feb. 18 at 8 p.m. in the Warch Campus Center. The address is free and open to the public.
Prior to his public presentation, Rosen will conduct a workshop on “iDisorder” for Lawrence faculty and staff at 4 p.m. in the Warch Campus Center.
A professor of psychology at California State University, Dominguez Hills, Rosen examines technology from the dual perspective that it is a necessary tool in today’s world as well as a potential threat to peoples’ ability to function in reality.
According to Rosen, “iDisorder” from daily use of technology changes the ability of a person’s brain to process information, producing signs and symptoms of a variety of psychological disorders, including stress, sleeplessness and a compulsive need to constantly check technology devices.
Among the topics he will address are:
• Getting high on technology: Hooked on smartphones
• The ups and downs of leading a cyber life
• Communication 101: Safety and training behind the screen
• You only think you’re dying: When pain is just pain
• Does my profile picture make me look fat?
• Delusions, hallucinations and social avoidance: Is technology making us appear schizo?
In addition to “iDisorder,” Rosen is the author of the books “Rewired: Understanding the iGeneration and the Way They Learn“; “Me, MySpace and I: Parenting the Net Generation“; “TechnoStress: Coping with Technology @Work @Home @Play” and “The Mental Health Technology Bible.”