ISSUE

FALL 2018

TECHNOLOGY'S DARK SIDE

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY AND THE INTERNET have brought us many benefits: timely access to information, the ease of staying connected to family and friends, the uplift of inspirational social media messages from Pope Francis, Cardinal Dolan and others. Unfortunately, most of us also encounter the harmful side of tech on an almost daily basis.

For an informed look at this issue through a Catholic lens, Archways spoke with Dr. Greg Bottaro, PsyD., a psychologist practicing in Connecticut, New York and online. He is director of the CatholicPsych Institute.

Archways: What do you see as the most common damaging effect of technology use?

Dr. Greg Bottaro: The most ubiquitous danger is distraction and the resulting lack of focus – how splintered and scattered we are becoming. That affects everybody, and it can lead to a spectrum of other problems, including depression and anxiety.

AW: What about social media?

GB: There’s a lot of good that has come through the advancements in technology and social media. But when it’s used without discipline, without intention, there’s a danger of isolating yourself from reality, living in a fantasy world. At its worst, it brings out the dark side of people and feeds into the neuroses of adolescence. Sometimes people say cruel or hateful things on Facebook that they would never say in real life. The medium creates the illusion that your words are not going to do harm, so you throw stuff out there that might be really awful.

AW: Is Internet pornography really such a big deal?

GB: Especially for boys, internet porn is a dangerous issue. The brain of a teenage boy is experiencing a 20-fold increase in testosterone levels. And girls are also vulnerable. Back 20 or 30 years ago, there was the magazine under the bed. Occasions of exposure were few and far between. Now everyone is walking around with the world’s largest pornography library in their pocket – really twisted stuff. That’s what these developing brains are being exposed to.

It’s damaging to adults, too. Some people are very deep into the addiction, and their expectations, the way they see themselves and others, the way they conceive of relationships, are being dangerously disordered. This causes upheaval in families. The dating scene is totally twisted because of it. And marriages are really threatened.

AW: Why is the Internet so powerful?

GB: It’s now possible for digital marketers to watch our online behavior and measure our responses. If we’re not careful, we end up letting tech companies make decisions about how we live. Instead of intentionally deciding, with reason and prayer and discernment, how we’re going to spend our time, we are sucked into a world of digital choices made by people who have no regard for our spiritual or emotional health – where the dark side and the addictive process may be given free rein. That can lead to depression, suicidal thinking, anxiety disorders and substance abuse.

AW: What do you counsel people to do to counteract these problems?

GB: First, you have to make the decision to pause. Shut the door and stop the process. Say some prayers. Then take a step back and evaluate: How much is this a problem in your life? And be willing to make the sacrifices necessary. For some people that means turning off all phones and screens one day a week, or shutting off all technology at eight o’clock. You have to be willing to analyze your problem and take smart steps to make it better. And parents have to realize they have the authority to say no. If your kids aren’t mad at you about tech, you’re probably not setting appropriate limits.

And you should know as much as possible about the technology you let into your house. Do some research. You’re probably not going to learn to write code, but you have to understand what you’re up against. Keep tabs on privacy settings and data sharing. Learn which apps and games come with serious downsides. Call your ISP. Make an effort instead of just being passive and going with the flow. Whether or not you have kids, you have to learn about the tech you allow into your life, because other people – if you let them – are going to be using it to influence your decisions and transform your life in ways that could do you harm.