Twitter, P.ie & 24 hour news causing depression, loss of morality/ brain overload?

[cyberianpan]

A lot of sources are warning us that we may be suffering "information overload" from new media. This can cause depression, loss of morality and general brain function decline:

[SIZE=4]Telegraph 24-hour news streams and constant Twitter updates causing brain overload[/SIZE]
Digital advancements feeding a 24-hour news culture could be starting to move too quickly for the human brain and causing it to overload, according to some new research.
...The constant burst of news about terrible occurrences such as stabbings or bomb attacks, is overloading our brains and making our responses dismissive
...
According to the Archives of General Psychiatry, Professor Dilip Jeste says that the neurones associated with traits such as human wisdom or empathy, are sited in the slower acting, recently evolved regions of our brain, that are bypassed when the world feels stressful.

I'm curious as to what posters think here ?

Whilst say if 30 moral events are flashed by us an hour , we may only have a "correct" response to 6 of them ... but if we slowed the rate would we get overall higher responses - what is the trade-off like ?

Also is P.ie depressing ?

cYp

[121.5]

my optician agrees with you though...

[oscartango]

Do tvs, pcs, mobile phones and all the rest of the modern technology not come with OFF switches ?

I'm in my late 50s and find I can get by quite well, thanks all the same, without loads of this rubbish.

A good newspaper, a decent radio station and a cuppa tea or a glass of something perkier and the world, Rodney, is me lobster.

[Christine Murray]

be a girlie, mostly women use the net differently to men in terms of focus, thus on P.ie (for example) a busy day would have 8 -10 subscribed threads and a quiet day maybe 1-2. same goes for Twitter/WP/PI. also desk+blog are usually quiet places away from the gaggle. lt also depends on quality of info . P.ie is not depressing. Chaos more likely.

[MsAnneThrope]

Instead of buying a newspaper sit out in the garden with a good book in this fine weather. Go through your old record/cd collection in the evening and play some of your old favourites. Take the dogs (if you have one/any) for an extra long walk. How did we survive only 20 years ago without mobiles, internet, twitter and other such nonsense?

I reckon the only reason FF still have 20% of the vote is most of that 20% don't watch tv, don't surf the net and don't read newspapers.

[Christine Murray]

My gmail accounts on the other hand... during the Saberi trial and imprisonment tons of stuff and only a teeny % on multiple boards and discussions = head Xplosions. Censorship and intellectual rights cause huge traffic.

[oscartango]

Instead of buying a newspaper sit out in the garden with a good book in this fine weather.

Check. Currently re-reading The Day of the Jackal. Garden all tidied.

Go through your old record/cd collection in the evening and play some of your old favourites.

Check. Dug out my old Carole King 'Tapestry', some James Taylor and Beatles 'Rubber Soul' and 'Revolver' plus early Dylan. Groovy, baby.

Take the dogs (if you have one/any) for an extra long walk.

Check. My terrier has had one walk already (to the paper shop and park) and will get another when the evening is cooler. Great exercise for the pair of us.

Who needs technology ? The world turns just fine without me on websites and message boards.

[Bobert]

I currently use Google reader, MSNBC, Twitter, Reuters and CNN apps on my BlackBerry while also receiving regular email/SMS updates from RTE, the Irish Independent and the Irish Times.

I believe that we are in an age whereby if we're detached from the outside world for longer then nesscesary we are prone to feelings of isolation and alienation. But as for depression as a result of what news we receive Id be inclined to agree with it.

[Christine Murray]

Bobert do ye use the wee blue Twitter icon on P.ie ?