Are you a tech junkie? When tech and media collecting becomes digital hoarding

Melinda Beck, a journalist with The Wall Street Journal welcomed me as a psychological expert and contributor to her article, Drowning in Email, Photos, Files? Hoarding Goes Digital. The extent to which technology is infiltrating our lives is taking a toll on our psychological well-being, and some of us are particularly at risk. This article skillfully discusses the development, associated symptoms and treatment of digital hoarding.

An excerpt from the article:

Christina Villarreal, a cognitive-behavioral therapist in Oakland, Calif., says she has clients in the tech industry—young men mostly—who spend so much time and money amassing collections of music or games or gadgets that they withdraw from the real world. “They can’t pay their rent or buy food because they have to have this latest piece of equipment to support their habit,” says Dr. Villarreal. She notes that hoarding often starts out as a way to feel good or fill an emptiness in life, but it leaves sufferers even more isolated. She helps clients relearn basic social skills and find other enjoyable activities instead.
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The field of psychology is still establishing healthy standards of functioning when it comes to the consumption of technology. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders IV (DSM-IV) does not currently recognize digital hoarding as a mental disorder however it is being considered for inclusion in the DSM-V's main manual or as an appendix for further research, which will be published in May 2013. To better understand the basis of hoarding, review Do you have Chronic Disorganization, Clinical Hoarding, or are you just a 'packrat'?

How do mental health experts currently determine when digital collecting becomes 'digital hoarding' and dysfunctional in a person?

Psychologists like myself are likely to diagnose someone as dysfunctional when their digital collecting behavior begins to impact multiple areas of their functioning in the following ways:

occupational and/or academic demands are no longer consistently met due to the quanitity of time spent researching, collecting and organizing digital devices and/or media
social withdrawal and/or isolation patterns emerge with friends and/or family
social relationships begin to deteriorate and/or suffer negative consequences
physical functioning/self care habits show decline, such as neglecting regular exercise, poor dietary choices that result in significant weight gain or loss
sleep deprivation
poorly managed finances/debt as a result of digital/technology driven spending habits
difficulty stopping or reducing their collection of digital devices and/or media files that go largely unused
noticeable changes in mental functioning that result in symptoms of depression, obsessive/compulsive anxiety, or substance abuse
poor insight/inability to see the connection between their collecting habits and the negative consequences of their behavioral choices


What kind of treatment, if any, helps someone with digital hoarding problems?

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based form of psychotherapy that can help to alleviate negative symptoms and improve overall functioning. A well planned treatment regimen may include:

Systematic Desensitization also known as Graduated Exposure Therapy
assessing the need for psychotropic medication to reduce symptoms of obsessive thoughts and behaviors, anxiety and/or depression
identifying/increasing other enjoyable activities into daily life
increasing social opportunities for support
social skill building when necessary
developing and maintaining healthy self-care for diet, exercise and sleep patterns
support for debt management

Dr. Christina Villarreal is a licensed clinical psychologist in Oakland, CA. For further questions or referrals email her at christina.villarreal@gmail.com

Fake Fireworks China Olympics Ceremony: "Wag The Olympics"

http://zennie2005.blogspot.com -- Last Friday's Olympics Opening Ceremony in Beijing Olympics Stadium was without a doubt the greatest event of its kind in the history of the Olympic Games. It was China's "coming out" party, and the organizers $300 million was well-spent.

The results showed in China Olympian Li Ning's levitating speed-skater style "walk" around Olympic Stadium and his lighting of a giant torch, which in turn caused what had to be the largest fireworks display in the history of the Olympic Games, if not the World.

A spectacle that looked tremendous, and even animated, and that's because it was.

The organizers of the event admitted that computer graphics were used to "replace" the actual fireworks images because the fear was that the "haze" -- read: smog -- was so bad that a great camera shot of the pyrotechnics would have not been possible.

Still, it was controversial because it took away from the overall historic effort and also took the wind out of the sails of the China Olympics, and sadly.

I write that because regardless of that country's problems, we're all fans of the Olympics and want to see it go well. Period.

But what was done reminded me of the movie "Wag The Dog". That flick, which starred Robert De Nero and Dustin Hoffman, was about a war that was staged on a television set and never happened at all.

With China's actions, we're a massive step closer to that possible occurence. China not only faked the fireworks, but the singer employed in the Opening Ceremony.

Seven-year-old Yang Peiyi, "who was deemed not attractive enough to go on stage" according to the article, was replaced by nine-year-old Lin Miaoke. One thing's for sure, that will scar Yang Peiyi for life, the fact that her own China told her she was not attractive enough to be seen singing on the biggest stage in the World, even though they love her voice!

Toward Laws Preventing This In The Future

I think we need to craft a series of International Laws to prevent or at least discourage (which is the best we can do) the occurence of the use of digital technology in this way. It's far too dangerous a possibility to ignore, especially in the wake of the fake fireworks scandal.

SXSW - Austin, Texas Swings Digital Media South Away From SF Bay Area

Now, I've been to Austin and went to the University of Texas at Arlington just up the way between Dallas and Ft. Worth. Austin was always called "The Berkeley Of The South" but that was from the perspective of nutso Texas conservatives. Now, I think Austin should be seen as a national capital of digital media, or at least the presentation of it. Just look at SXSW.

South By Southwest has been going on since 1987, but since it added the film and interactive media festivals it's really taken off and now with the growth of digital media, it's growth is viral. Viral because it's a festival about content related for digital media, and digital media itself, and then it's reported about using, you guessed it, digital media. A unique convergence. Take a look at this video blog:



I increasingly get the idea that the excitement in digital media is as much in cities like Austin or New York as it is in the Bay Area. We've got nothing like SXSW and yet it's something perfectly Bay Area. I think the main problem here is the cost of living is driving away the creative people that feed the digital media community. What's more the problem is that the Bay Area leaders are too out of touch to see this as a crisis.

When more cities -- or maybe that one city like Austin -- starts luring Bay Area firms away, then they'll wake up. But California's lost a lot of movie production activity for the same reason, so maybe not.