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I've noticed similar problems with myself (being an online professional/addict):

When I was in high school I read "Silmarillion" by J.R.R. Tolkien. It is a difficult read as it is half English (which isn't my native language) and half Elvish (which is nobody's native language). But I completed it.

In recent years I have tried to pick it up and read it again and I just can't… and please do take into account that I for the last decade have lived in London so my English is much better now.

I've noticed other issues, which several friends and colleagues have recognised from their own lives: My spelling has gotten a lot worse.

In school (in Denmark) my English spelling was much better than it is now. Why? Because when I type on screen (MS Word, Google, even now typing this post) I rely on the machine spell-checking and even completing words for me.

I've caught myself increasingly just typing some letters of a word in a random fashion into Google when I search AND being rewarded with Google actually finding what I am looking for.

I am worried about this, but it has become how I behave.

One of these days I will pick up a pen and actually write a letter of sorts just to see if my hand can still cope with it

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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/10/technology/10morning.html

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@ Nitin — I think effective multi-tasking could be a benefit of this, as Celia mentioned, but you have taken it to a new level!!

I think one of the ironies is that we hear it is "all about relationships" (and it always has been that way) but really we're entering an era of anti-social media : )

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You raise an important issue. We as a species nare spending more and more time now in front of the computer and television THAN out in the real world talking to and meeting with people.

And I am not just talking about Generation Y or Z or whatever is the new catchphrase here. I don't even need to look around to give you an example: so many times I would be responding to my emails while I am driving or listening to the iphone in one ear and talking to another person through the other one (i didn't make this up).

While we are all become more "efficient" and better at absorbing more and more information, we have to be cognizant of the risks and the behavioral challenges such activity can cause.

And while I will not call everybody around zombies yet, the key is to strike a balance. All of us need to get out every now and then and smell the flowers.

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My nephew spends every spare minute playing video games over the Internet. He's wired out of really any other part of life. That's all he does.

I have not thought about things in quite the way you have presented here, but I have certainly observed this … addiction .. is there any other word for it?? And i have wondered where it will all lead. I hope you're wrong.

Every parent should read your article and at least think about the possibility of what is going on with their kids.

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@Celia. I'm so glad you disagreed! : ) Thank you for doing so in such an eloquent way! (applause)

I think the most important point you make is that is wrong to put everybody in one category. For every person addicted to XBox, there is another hooked on sports or reading, etc.

You also make an excellent point about the positive aspects of the tech-savvy next generation. Thanks!

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I had a computer and a TV growing up. And yes, I spent a lot of time on them (and probably had periods of spending more time on it than others), but I would NOT go as far as to say it lent to an attention-deficit or any sort of "zombie" behavior.

You have to remember that, no matter what they do in their free time, kids go to school. From age 6 to age 18, school is basically forced socialization time. And for a lot of kids, getting home at the end of the day is a time to relax (watch tv, play on the computer), not see more of their friends. That's not to say they aren't socializing with them–remember, a computer and a phone do actually have communication purposes.

Every child, no matter what generation you're talking about, has their own personality. Just as some kids sit in their room and read all day, others prefer to play sports, and others prefer to be on the computer. That's genetics, and that's not going to change.

As for the workplace– I think we are better researchers and multi-taskers than any generation before us. We crave to get things done fast, and are often very good written communicators. We are able to understand innovative technology better than our superiors. It's a change, yes, but I don't think it's all bad.

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