1) With all the technology and instant access to entertainment and information anywhere, there is no way anyone can be bored.
2) Because we no longer have these "bored" moments where we can let our thoughts roam and daydream to entertain ourselves, we may be losing all-important "creativity/deep thinking time".
The article is titled "Boredom is Extinct", and in relation to the first premise, I think it sounds true at first glance, but not upon further analysis. (I will try not to make it one of those "oh what is happening to the world because of all this technology" posts).
Lets say you have and internet-access phone/ipod/ebook reader that you can take along anywhere. As long as it's in your possession, you technically have access to limitless information, or at least enough entertainment that you "shouldn't" be bored. While walking to class or doing any routine stuff you can be listening to music or podcasts, while waiting in line somewhere you can be reading my awesome blog, playing chess on the bus, or texting your ex while on a boring date.
I have to point out, as most of you would agree, that it's still possible to be bored while having an access to limitless information and entertainment. One can be "bored" with absorbing information, when the brain is just saturated and needs a break. At this point you need to go for a run (or a walk, or for some tea).
How much of the world has this limitless access? I don't have exact numbers, but I'd wager it's a small percentage. Only about 27% have internet access, so the number would be lower than that. Plenty of people can still be "bored" and daydream to solve this dilemma.
Lets look at the second premise, which makes even less sense. We are not losing our creativity because of this information accessibility, though we may have to make a conscious effort to sometimes "get away". I think the people who are more creative by nature or whose work needs them to be creative and spend considerable time brainstorming do so anyways. My labmates and I have plenty of idea-generating talks, lots of people go on walks for a change of setting and inspiration, video game development and movie teams have brainstorming sessions, etc.
So overall, just because people can have instant access and distraction, doesn't mean it always has to interfere with their creativity or work. Same goes with daydreaming. That's assuming that "daydreaming time" correlates with "creative time", which is certainly not the case. Some very creative ideas come out when interacting with other people or reading articles online. One may say that having an all-access pass is a boon for creativity.
I do think that for kids who are raised in this environment, life will certainly be different, as they are brought up with constant access. I won't go into this right now, but I do believe that there will still be plenty of people who can be creative and introspective in such a world. Who knows, in a few years, if we have an implantable all access "phone" (a la last Futurama episode), then maybe it truly will be impossible to "get away", and creative/introspective time will be harder to come upon.
I think maybe what the author of the article should say is that the constant access is making it harder for people to find quiet moments of solace with no distractions. (There are many articles out there exploring all the "horrible" consequences of this). Whether this correlates with daydreaming about nothing in particular, with introspection in general, or with creative activity depends on the individual.
Human behavior and thinking patterns are marvelously adaptable, and I don't think our creativity will be stifled by being able to google anything at any time and by receiving texts from our mom.
On a final note, I'm reading an interesting book on creativity, so I'll surely post some more about this topic.
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