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Voices
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The Dark Side of Social Technology
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How Screen Time and Social Media is Addictive and Hurts Your Mental Health
By Chase Cotten, Executive Director at The Willow Center, 317-852-3690
“Ping!” followed by the inevitable “Bzz…bzzz” in your pocket – sound familiar?
According to research studies completed in the past three years, most of us check our mobile devices over 50 times daily, and spend upwards of 4-5 hours on average looking at our devices or other screens per day. In the United States, children under the age of 14 spend twice as much time using a mobile device than talking with their family members each day. Unfortunately, this amount of screen time, especially when spent using social media, is facilitating addictive behavior in our brains and hurting our mental health and relationships.
Mobile devices and social media, which typically go hand-in-hand, have undeniably changed the world in both positive and negative ways. The positives have more to do with increased accessibility, the raising of voices that are typically silenced by society, and common-interest based communal activity. Positive Examples:
• We are more accessible to each other than ever before. Mere decades ago, the thought that we could be “friends” with someone and stay in touch with them from the other side of the globe was just a pipe dream.
• News travels fast. When something is wrong, we all know quickly and can pitch in to help.
• Nonprofit organizations and other charitable causes can share stories and raise funds in an easy and engaging way for their supporters.
• Social Justice movements can hold the public accountable for their actions and influence compassionate change with the click of a button.
The negatives have more to do with our decreased mental wellness, increased physical and emotional isolation, unconscious addictive behavior development, and severe societal impacts.
Negatives Examples:
• Intentionally fake news articles spread up to 6x faster than true or proven news articles in social media spaces, and are often written and posted by nefarious sources.
• Prolonged, habitual social media use has shown direct correlations to increased rates of eating disorders, alcoholism, and negative self-esteem – most particularly for young people.
• Regular screen time and social media use has been linked to delayed and decreased cognitive ability both for developing children and for fully developed adults.
• 89% of mobile device users admit to using their device in the middle of their last social gathering.
• Most social media algorithms are built to steer users toward continuing to use the platform, and continuing to view increasingly extreme and/or negative content the longer one uses it.
• The number of social media users, especially young users, who encounter hate speech directed to them online has doubled in recent years.
• Children who experience bullying online are about 3x more likely to contemplate suicide than their peers.
• Long-term social media use and screen time is directly correlated to increased rates of depression and selfharm.
The reader may already be able to see that the list of negative examples is dramatically longer than the list of positive examples. This is not due to the author’s lack of trying to find positive examples!
Perhaps it is best to end with a poignant quote, as cited from Yale professor, Edward Tufte, in the recent Netflix documentary on this subject titled “The Social Dilemma” -- “There are only two industries that call their customers ‘users’: illegal drugs and software.”
We have work to do, for our own good and for our children’s good. Delete the apps. Turn off the notifications. Go outside. Have a family dinner. Let’s start with the simple things.
Primary References: https://www.humanetech.com/learn-more https://ledger.humanetech.com/ https://www.bondcap.com/pdf/Internet_Trends_2019.pdf
A Note From Bee
I have several memories of Memorial Day.
I was born in 1939 and in those days we called Memorial Day Decoration Day. I can remember my grandmother being worried that she would not have enough peonies or flags (Now called iris ) to decorate the graves.
My husband and I bought a house in 1961 and I spent that Memorial Day cleaning the house getting it ready for us to move in on June 18th, the day after we got married. My husband to be was in the hospital being treated for some sort of blood infection. In retrospect we think it was mono.
Many a year after our children were old enough we would be at a u-pick it farm picking strawberries.
Forward to 1974, there was a new bank in Brownsburg and they had a coloring contest. First prize was 2 tickets to the race. Second prize was one race ticket. My oldest two children won first and second prize. Of course they were thrilled. I found out later they were the only two contestants. If I had known that I would have had our third child enter the contest. Dad was chosen to take the kids to the race. I probably should not admit this but I never was interested in the race. Unfortunately it started to rain but fortunately the cars had enough laps in that a winner was declared.
Of course we used to have family get togethers at our house every Memorial Day but unfortunately that doesn’t happen very often any more because everybody is too busy or not everybody has had their covid shot.
Bee Jones
A few years ago we were told that Ulen Country Club was open to the public for Sunday brunch from 11-2. We enjoy trying new places to eat.
Ulen is a neighborhood in Lebanon. We were not disappointed in the brunch. There was not only breakfast food, which included among other foods omelets, sausages, bacon, hash browns, and pancakes. Also they offer soup, salad, an entree, a couple of vegetables, and several delicious desserts, including home made ice cream. All delicious. The price is very reasonable and after having I think 5 brunches, a bonus of a free brunch is given. A senior citizen discount is offered.
We have a small family only about 13 people. When we want to celebrate special family events we request the library. No cooking or washing dishes. The service is excellent. The atmosphere is very pleasant.
We were so disappointed when covid put an end to the brunch. It started back up last Sunday. We were sooo glad. Give it a try. I think you will add it to places you want to eat. Reservations are appreciated but not necessary. 765- 482-5310. Ulen is located at 100 Country Club Drive, Lebanon, Ind.
Bee Jones
Editorial from The Past
100 Years Ago
On May 31 and June 1, 1921, an incident in Tulsa, Oklahoma led to what has been called one of the worst incidents of racial violence, with more than 35 square blocks of the Greenwood district, made of mostly Black homes and businesses, was destroyed by mobs of white residents.
Julian Hogate, editor of The Republican, published the following about the event.
THE RACE RIOTS
Tulsa is the scene of the last outbreak of the kind which is designated as a race riot. As the people of two races recall the terror of two days and survey the square mile of burned and ruined homes and bury the dead, they must be impressed with the folly of it all.
And the people of the Nation must be impressed. “The sins of the fathers are visited upon the children to the third and fourth generation of them that serve Him.” The people of this country are still paying for the awful crime of human slavery. The third generation is paying. Shall the fourth and succeeding generations continue to pay?
We are not blaming whites or blacks. We are referring to the senseless idea that these flare-ups must come. Springfield, Ohio, had one. Omaha had one. Chicago had one and now Tulsa.
The black man is here and he is a citizen. He did not come here of his own choice. He came in irons as a slave. The Nation permitted a nameless crime. The awful horrors of civil war failed to atone for the sin. Must the people live on in fear of these outbreaks, still paying for the Nation’s sin?”
June 9, 1921
James Baldwin
ASK MR. TRAFFIC
By Chet Skwarcan, PE, President/ Founder of Traffic Engineering, Inc. Chet@TrafficEngineering.com
Drive on Purpose
Not by Accident
Granted, a percentage of drivers on the road, right now, because they must be someplace at a specific time. Certain employers are usually to blame for this. These employees have no option but to drive to work during the busiest part of the day. In traffic engineering lingo, we refer to this as the “peak hour.” You will never see a traffic engineer on the roadway during the peak hour. That’s because we have access to secret traffic data telling us when to go places so we seldom encounter another vehicle (as an example, Taco Bell at 2 a.m.).
This brings me to my point — if you must drive during peak hour, make the best of it. Listen to great music (“American Pie”) or learn a new language (sign language?). Keep in mind, “traffic engineering” can only go so far. The person behind the steering wheel is in control when it comes to reducing congestion — the power to flatten the curve (as they say).
So why are there (sometimes) so many cars on the road? Where are they all going? In other words, what is the purpose of all these trips? Nobody knows. But, assuming the trip is essential, how can we reduce the distance between where you are and where you need to go? There’s only one way — make it shorter. And the way you make it shorter is to bring your destination closer to your origin. You can either live closer to where you work and shop or provide opportunities to work and shop closer to where you live.
It all comes down to the purpose of the trip. If you work for an employer who expects you to show up on time, so be it. But for the rest of us, buy your groceries and make your appointments when traffic is light, or, better yet, shorten the distance between where you live and where you work and shop. Heck, maybe you could even walk to work from where you live (but don’t walk to the gas station that doesn’t make sense).
A Squirrel About Town
By Archy
“Have a seat!” I heard Archy’s voice but didn’t see him. “Right here,” the voice said, and I suddenly saw a faint shadow of a squirrel on the retaining wall next to the steps on the east side of the court house.
“Just practicing my Cheshire cat skills,” he said with a giggle. The shadow grew into substance. “This is new,” I thought. “We squirrels have the ability to become invisible, but we don’t make a practice of it. It comes in handy sometimes, I must tell you, when a lot of people are around. One can only take so much fawning over how cute we are.” I said he carried his burden well. “I’ve seen people who can become invisible,” he countered. “Yourself, for instance.” “How do you know that?” I wondered, not sure if I wanted to know the answer.
“You start by being quiet. Most people like to surround themselves with noise, so they don’t notice you. Then, you look at everything around you. People walk around not looking at anything, which gives you the advantage to see them.”
I had the feeling that Archy had been watching me for a long time. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll keep your secret.” He looked up at me and grinned until the grin was all that I could see.
How To Transplant Gifted Garden Plants
By Colletta Kosiba Hendricks County Master Gardener
Dig away from the center of the plant.
You are looking through your aunt’s garden and say “I love this.” Aunt says,” I’ll give you some.”
No matter what time of the year it is, you can safely instill it in your garden by this method.
Water plant before digging. Dig all around the clump a few inches from stems. After digging, water the plant immediately, put in plastic bag in trunk. Never leave the roots exposed to sun, heat or wind.
At home: (the same day if possible):
Transplant when it is overcast or during cooler evening hours.Dig hole for new plant. Put water the hole. Place the transplant into the hole, fill it halfway with soil, water again. Allow the water to settle around the roots. Place the transplant into the hole, fill it halfway with soil, water again. Allow the water to settle around the roots.
Water the plant well before moving.
Use a spade to dig a deep hole for the transplant.
Finish filling the hole. Lightly firm the soil around the transplant. Once again, water the whole plant. Apply mulch around the base.
If plant is in bloom, pick of all blossoms and buds off. Plant needs to establish in its new home.
Supply temporary shade. Cut a cardboard box -use to shelter plant from sun and wind for a few days, plant will love you for the extra care.
It’s amazing how quickly a transplant settles in, (this is if you can take a large clump with all the roots) even if you move it in bloom. In as little as two to three days, your plant will look as if it’s been there forever
A general rule of thumb is to transplant fall-blooming perennials in spring and spring-flowering perennials in fall in your own garden.
If you follow the steps above you will have success putting those gifted plants in your garden. My garden is a friendship garden with many many gifted plants, showing off their beauty.
“If a plant is sad, do other plants photo-sympathize with it?”
Got Questions? Call The Home-Landscaping-Garden Help Line and Master Gardeners will answer your questions every Tuesday. May 18 to Sept 28. Hours 9:00-Noon and 1-4:00pm call 317-745-9260 (Hendricks County Extension)
A Bark From the Past: Henry
[Editor’s Note: The Republican’s first four-footed correspondent was Henry. A mixed breed rescue dog, Henry would make observations about being a dog in a small town. The articles, which ran in 2006 - 2010, have been languishing in the computer’s memory and we thought a new audience might enjoy some canine commentary.]
Hot-diggety-dog and double WOOF! Do I have a great adventure to tell you about this week! You might have noticed that I didn’t have a column in last week’s Republican. That’s because I was on a trip!
My humans were going to take a week off and go to a place called Kangkoon. But all the pigs there got sick, so they decided not to go. That’s good, because if I know my female human, she’d have been taking care of all the sick pigs, rather than having a good time. They decided to go on a hunting trip instead!
My male human grew up in southern Indiana, and he said that they were going to go there to hunt morels. I knew that my human shot golfs, but I didn’t know that he hunted anything else. I don’t know what kind of critters these morels are, but they only come out in the spring. That’s when you hunt them. I guess the rest of the year, they stay hidden.
While they were packing, my human kept singing about loading up the truck and going to Beverlee. And I got a wonderful surprise! They decided to take me along! The rest of my brothers and sisters had to stay home. But my humans’ friend Miss Fairley was going come over to take care of them.
Anyway, we didn’t go to Beverlee. We went to Spencer County, which was a long, long way. It took a lunch and two pee stops to get there.
The first thing my human did was to drive around his home town and say how nothing has changed. Then, he took his mate to see where he’d gone to school. It must have been in a tent, because there was nothing there except a big empty field. My human seemed to be disappointed that the tent wasn’t there any more.
Then, we drove out to a big woods, which is where the morels live. My human said the woods belonged to his cousin and it was posted, but I didn’t see any posts. There were lots of trees, but no posts. Anyway, he had called his cousin and got the okay to hunt there.
My human stopped the car at the edge of the woods and parked in a little lane there. When we got out, he snapped my leash onto my collar and handed his mate a plastic grocery sack and that was all! I guess those morels must be so tame that they just stand there and let you stick them in a sack. You don’t have to shoot them or anything.
My human female had never hunted morels before. My male told her that they were light-colored and blended in with the dead leaves. They were hard to find and that she needed to look sideways, because if she looked straight down, she’d never see them. He told her to look around dead logs and wherever she saw May apples. So, the morels must burrow and eat fruit. Neat!
And before we went into the woods, my human took off my leash and told me to come when he whistled. Of course, I always do that. If I didn’t, my human would never be able to find his way out of the woods! With my nose, I’d be able to lead them right back to the car.
Oops! No more space! I’ll have to finish telling you about my adventure next week!
Thought for the Day: A few years ago, the Indiana state legislature passed a resolution making the morel Indiana’s state mushroom. That’s true!
Letters To The Editor
Dear Editor:
Danville Town Council chose 19 May to ignore their own ordinance & approve a 957 - home subdivision with inadequate roadways for new traffic. Miles Farm borders busy U.S. 36. Its traffic will increase significantly.
Council put haste & revenue over safety & procedure. A study shows Miles Farm will add a vehicle every eight seconds during rush hour.
The pell mell march of our government to approve profits for the Miles family & mega developer D. R. Horton comes in spite of hundreds in opposition, we remonstrators.
There is in sight no effective plan nor road project that will ease traffic congestion. Council approved anyway. Yet as Developer Mike Eaton said Council is in full control of timing & use of the 400 acres to the immediate west of Danville. Speed here was senseless.
All know U.S. 36 is jammed as the day begins & ends, that Miles Farm will be developed. That 1,300 - 1,800 vehicles garaged there would impact traffic. Our zoning ordinance at Section15 provides implicitly no new project that “significantly increases traffic congestion” shall be approved. They who cause an increase must pay for a solution.
Thus the maiden western subdivision this century is approved in spite of, not in obedience to, Danville law. How now will we credibly hold new developments to the rules? As Mike Eaton said, we won’t.
None can argue a bypass is our lone sure cure of the traffic crisis. Yet the council vote on Miles was Pado, Leavitt, Van- Laere, Winters yea, Gearld nay.
Council either never understood its options or would not look. Focus always was on approval & the lure of millions in tax revenue, not patience & “the greatest good for the greatest number,” i.e. utilitarianism.
Swept away were the concerns of Danville & those who travel here, a number far greater than Horton & Miles heirs. The unknown residents of Miles Farm will live in chaos & traffic lines, needlessly.
Appreciation of what Council has done & foregone lies in three steps.
First, Horton sought annexation to gain town services. Annexation permits the town - not county - to place conditions on Horton. The town gains tax revenue enhanced by construction of homes up to $450,000 in value. Residents to come will help pay sewer/water system costs as Danville grows.
Annexation was approved, but there is a catch Council Member Winters explained. Were Council to have rejected re-zoning until 36 is bypassed or widened, Horton could dissolve annexation & gain county approval. I think this is why Council approved Horton. Go with the devil you know.
So, second step is the legal tool Council never studied. Danville can annex Miles Farm without Horton tomorrow. This gives Danville tax revenue on a gold mine of property appreciating fast, as Indianapolis sprawls.
Would Miles heirs resist annexation? No. Their sale price only balloons with time. Safely ensconced in Danville, all Miles need do is await a bypass of U.S. 36, never faced by Council to this day.
The farm has set without homes since 1824. What is another decade? Meantime Council & our legislative team surely can persuade the state to build the bypass & relieve town streets of jams. Then we develop.
A bypass costs federal & state money, not ours. This a free benefit we’ve wasted 50 years. Just think of Danville with smooth traffic!
Third point. Horton fled to The Town Staff & INDOT to quell our concerns. The supposed solution is patchwork, a useless a gerry built path bypassing nothing, harming more folks.
The idea: new road beginning at old & new 36, go behind Kroger to the Cartersburg Road bridge, follow Lincoln to Mackey, turn north on Mackey, extend Mackey Road north to North Elementary School. Presumably, Mackey then would end at Indiana 39 north of North Elementary.
How this would not double our grief has yet to be explained. Nor do we know how long it would take.
Questions. Will Lincoln & Mackey be four lane? If not, how does this even begin help? If so, what of the homes along those roads? And what makes the driver headed for Rockville take Lincoln rather than Main?
And Rockville man still must drive past Clear Creek & Miles Farm. So this is no help. The task is to take foreign traffic around Danville, not to North Elementary. The profit of a few never is test for the good of all. Council has created few winners, many losers. This could have been win - win.
AS always Council ignores the urgent need for a four lane bypass. This must come first, requiring iron patience, keen vision. This Council has it.
Once Miles Farm is annexed where Horton cannot rescind annexation, Danville governs & taxes the land. Council then can shepherd safe development over time. If this Council will not take this path, get one who will. There is time. Miles heralds the bypass now as our seminal issue.
As Lincoln said, government in America is of the people, by the people, for the people. Not for part of the people. For all. Sincerely, Greg Black
Ralph Waldo Emerson
