‘Technology’ at Psychology, Philosophy and Real Life, Page 12

The long-awaited US Supreme Court decision about online direct wine sales to consumers in other states is in. What impact — if any — will the judgement about state authority to restrict interstate online commerce have on mental health practitioners who provide online services to clients in other states, or who operate from other countries?

Websites in China have long been required to be officially registered, but state authorities are now determined to bring blogs — plus forums, chat rooms, and other community type sites — under their direct control. Having just passed the annniversary of Tiananmen Square, this move acts as a stark reminder of the freedoms that remain unavailable in the world’s most populous country.

Competition for traffic, status, and keeping up appearances in the blogosphere is increasing the temptation for bloggers to engage in ‘blog-lifting’: recycling news and stories produced by other people, but without citation, and without adding original content. Judging by blog comments and Technorati searches, many blog readers are unaware that they are being duped.

A recent AP report on the benefits of taking a break from technology makes me reflect on the pace of my own current work, as well as on the pressures of the business environment, in which some senior managers try to stay plugged in 365 days of the year.