英語暢談青春文化50主題 29 Infomania 資訊癖

A:I haven’t gotten any emails today? That’s so weird! I haven’t even got spam.

B:It makes you uncomfortable, hmm? I’ve been there before. Once, I didn’t get a single text message from anyone all day. I was continuously looking at my cell phone; I even suspected it might be broken. In the end, I didn’t relax until I sent a few text messages to a friend and received a reply.

A:Looks like we’ve become so accustomed to these “disturbances”that if we aren’t disturbed for a whole day, we can’t bear it.

B:Actually, this is a kind of disease, called “information anxiety disorder,”or “infomania.” 

A:No way—can it really be possible that sending and receiving emails and text messages too often is a disease?

B:Well it’s not like cancer or anything, but because information and communication technologies have become so highly developed, and so many ways of communicating have accumulated, we have developed a strong need to be “in touch.”Because of this, if we enter into a situation where we’re cut off from information, we won’t be able to sit still and might become anxious and jittery.

A:But in recent years people’s work and life has become inextricably tied to the internet, cell phones, etc. Are you telling me that everyone has this sickness?

B:Generally speaking, extroverts are more prone to it. Because they like to interact with people, they may get addicted to being in constant contact with others through online chatting or text messaging. This can bring them a sense of security and confidence.

A:But couldn’t some introverted people become “infomaniacs”too? I mean, because less outgoing people aren’t as comfortable expressing themselves, so in real life they might get nervous interacting with people face to face, but sending and receiving emails and text messages isn’t the same. They don’t have to immediately reply, so they have enough time to think about it and then answer.

B:That’s a really good point. But the drawbacks are that we increasingly depend on the internet, and I think people’s actual ability to interact face to face will decrease. Maybe at some point in the future, when people meet face to face they won’t say anything; they’ll just use their cell phones or computers to communicate.

A:Ooooo, scary! Looks like high technology is really a double-edged sword! After all, not even the best technology can compensate for our personal shortcomings.