Information is becoming the drug of the Nineties.
The research, conducted among 1,000 managers in Britain, America, Europe and the Far East shows that, as information sources such as the Internet and cable news channels proliferate, we are witnessing the rise of a generation of dataholics.
The quest for information can lead to stress. Almost two-thirds said their leisure time
had been curtailed as a result of having to work late to cope with vast amounts of information; 70 per cent reported loss of job satisfaction and tension with colleagues
because of information overload.
The study also investigated the habits of the children of 300 managers and found 55
per cent of parents were concerned their children would become information junkies.
Forty-six per cent of parents believed their children spent more time on their PCs than
interacting with friends. In one case a child had to be wheeled with his computer to the
dinner table.
Sue Feldman, mother of Alexander, 13, a self-confessed В Internet-addict, said she
had not yet been forced to d wheeling her son and computer to the table, but said she
often served him sandwiches and crisps at his bedroom computer.
Alexander switches on his computer every day when he returns from Latymer school
in Hammersmith to his home at Ealing, west London. "I'd confess to spending up to four
hours a day on the Internet looking for information and speaking to friends. It's like an
addiction," Alexander said:
"If I can't get on to my computer or the Internet, I do get really frustrated." He spends
most of his time finding out the latest information on pop groups and facts for his
homework.
"My parents have to tell me to get off the computer, and they complain a lot, but they
also see it as a good thing. Practically everyone in my class has a PC with Internet access
so all my friends are also on-line. It's the way forward."
From "The Daily Telegraph "
Vocabulary:
proliferate – быстро увеличиваться
quest- поиски
curtail - сокращать
overload- перегрузка
junky - разг. наркоман
self-confessed– открыто
frustrated- расстроенный
complain – выражать неудовольствие
access- доступ
trashy - дрянной
curriculum - учебный план