Studies show that the use of smartphones and tablets exploded at the same time that drug use declined among American teens. Correlation or causation?
From an Addiction to Weed to an Addition to Devices
Ted Rall
Ted Rall is a syndicated political cartoonist for Andrews McMeel Syndication and WhoWhatWhy.org and Counterpoint. He is a contributor to Centerclip and co-host of "The Final Countdown" talk show on Radio Sputnik. He is a graphic novelist and author of many books of art and prose, and an occasional war correspondent. He is, recently, the author of the graphic novel "2024: Revisited."
14 Comments. Leave new
Instant gratification – mediated vi the dopamine system – is instant gratification, rough hew it how we will…. 😉
Henri
This is a test of the Ted Rall post system. It is only a test. In the case of a real emergency you’d be screwed anyway.
Interesting. I tried twice to post a link to cell phone bongs, but neither post showed up. Google “cell phone bong” and pretend that I posted the link. 😉
Let’s see if <a href="https://www.google.se/search?q=%22cell+phone+bong%22&num=100&client=firefox-b&tbm=isch&imgil=nWLfAKFSlox0vM%253A%253By6XTcHFhmBDwpM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fm.dhgate.com%25252Fproduct%25252F2016-new-arrival-hot-glass-bong-cell-phone%25252F388370473.html&source=iu&pf=m&fir=nWLfAKFSlox0vM%253A%252Cy6XTcHFhmBDwpM%252C_&usg=__VrLFACkKoDLFqn2-tRTSlmFAHJ8%3D#imgrc=nWLfAKFSlox0vM:"|this one gets through, CrazyH….
Henri
Well, it did – but not quite in the form I envisaged. I do wish Ted’s site would allow previews !…
Henri
interesting – yours is a link to google, mine was to a commercial site selling the things. Maybe it’s an automatic spam filter. (“Don’t link to sites that sell stuff”)
Well, I found this YouTube video (for what it’s worth):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgIGaq_ldyc
“Maybe it’s an automatic spam filter.”
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How do you contact the webmaster to find out this answers to this and many other questions?
«How do you contact the webmaster to find out this answers to this and many other questions?» I have no idea how to get hold of Ted’s webmaster, mein verehrter Lehrer, but Ted himself does provide a means to contact him. Perhaps he would be willing to forward related queries to his webmaster ? As both of us have frequently mentioned on this site, it would be great if some sort of preview mechanism could be provided here….
Henri
A (refer-sanity) breath of fresh air … a social impact statement that’s not (directly) polluted by devolved party politics, or something like that. Enough now, let’s jump back in the T-rump/Kankled cesspool!
DanD
Well, I guess that is more of an observation than a correlation or a causation…can you offer more as an explanation? 🙂
«Well, I guess that is more of an observation than a correlation or a causation…» An observation indicating a (possible) correlation ?… 😉
Henri
Social trends rarely have one, specific cause. Drug use among teens was on the decline before Nancy & TIpper started their ‘Just say no’ campaign. With the grown-ups making so much noise about it, it became cool again & teen use increased.
But the new kids have been raised up with terrorists as the bad guys, with global warming taking center stage. It’s not so cool any more.
An indirect cause might not be the devices themselves, but the way they make socialization possible without direct contact. You have to be in close proximity to pass a joint around.
«An indirect cause might not be the devices themselves, but the way they make socialization possible without direct contact.» Or, CrazyH, as in Ted’s cartoon above, render it possible to socialise with people who aren’t present, at the same time that they render it possible/acceptable not socialise with people (like one’s siblings), who are. O brave new world. That has such people in’t !…
Henri