How do social media, texting, and listening to music on a device affect an ECKist?

—Ryan, at age 18,
Florida

Dear Ryan,

Quite frankly, social networking dumbs down one’s mind. Too much of a good thing is a bad thing.

Studies have shown that the most unhappy people are often those with the most “friends.” My concern is how the addiction to computers crowds out the time necessary for contemplation, the foundation of spiritual unfoldment.

You may want to get Nicholas Carr’s The Shallows. He addresses the effect of technology on the mind.

A reviewer says this book is about “the preservation of the human capacity for contemplation and wisdom.”

The Internet actually changes the brain.

Research finds that youth who spend a lot of time online respond quickly to questions, but their answers often miss the deeper issues hidden in a situation.

So their responses are flawed.

And they expect to do well in life with tools missing from their toolbox?

Get the book.

(adapted from October 2011 Letter of Light)