Skip to main content

Too Much Time Online?

 Recently I watched a TV programme about developments in virtual reality. It talked about
“creating memories of experiences even though they are not real”.

This was said as if it's a good thing, but the idea does not appeal to me. I prefer sharing experiences with my dogs.

Computer technology has been seamlessly integrated into our lives. It might feature hugely in your life. If you enjoy it and it is of no detriment to other parts of your life, then why not.

But what if it has a negative effect on you at times? What if you get involved in online conflictson social media and come away feeling demoralised?
Or, what if, like me, you sometimes become overwhelmed with all the information2?

Closing it all down for a while is always an option.

Ursula Linton

Notes

  1. For expert insights into the psychology of social media and advice on how to deal with online conflict, there is a great webinar by Michał Pręgowski, PhD called:
    “Beyond Proving Them Wrong: How to Navigate Online Conflicts”
    (Available on school.grishastewart.com)

  1. I kept this blog as short as I could so as not to add to the feeling of being overwhelmed for anyone who might read it.
    Information Overload and Information Addiction are proven phenomena.



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Dogs Sniffing - it's even more important than I thought

 The first blog I wrote was 'The Importance of Sniffing on a Dog Walk' . Please check it out if you haven't seen it already. I've been inspired to write this further blog on sniffing because of information I've learned recently from an online talk 1  by  Shay Kelly BSc   (Canine Behaviour Consultant and author) and a webinar 2  by  Katrien Lismont   (International Pet Dog Behaviour Trainer). I knew that through their sniffing, dogs get interesting information about the other dogs that have passed that way – things like their age, health and so on. Generally interesting stuff for dogs. They also love investigating non-dog related stuff of course – things like discarded food wrappers for example! What I had never considered before Shay Kelly's talk is that dogs can smell the emotional state of other dogs 3  (and people). They can smell stress chemicals, for example. This will form part of the information dogs are assessing when they are out...

Dog Play - Part 1

 Dog play is a big topic so I am going to discuss it in two parts, like I did with 'Petting Dogs'. In addition, I will suggest some further reading in case you are really interested in this topic. Let's start by looking at what  isn't play Play between dogs has to be fun for each dog involved. It has to be voluntarily entered into and a dog has to be able to leave any time they want to . A dog won't play unless they feel safe,  both mentally and physically. They won't play if, for instance, they are afraid or if they are ill or in pain. This is really important and helps us to identify situations that might look like play, but may be something else entirely.  So when we think of a dog's need to feel safe as being an essential prerequisite for play, we can see that those 'play' episodes we sometimes see are not actually play. For example, one dog is bouncing happily round another dog and, although the other dog is responding, they are doing so...

Why do reactive dogs behave like that anyway?

 If you live with a reactive dog you'll know how their reactivity limits the things you and your dog can do together, the places you can go together and the times of the day you can go there. It's not easy and the chances are you may have experienced stress, frustration and annoyance at how your dog behaves. It can also be very upsetting to see your dog distressed over things others take for granted. You'll also know their reactivity is only a part of who they are. Reacting to things is inbuilt Reacting to things, whether it is a real threat or a perceived threat is inbuilt. It's a fear response which is essential for survival. Think of that involuntary reaction when you jump at something before you've even registered what it is you've been scared by. Why is the dog 'going mad' at things that are just normal, everyday things to the rest of us? It's an issue of how the dog processes things, explains dog behaviour practitioner Andrew Hale*, who d...