Digital Madness by Nicholas Kardaras

DIGITAL MADNESS by Nicholas Kardaras (Glow Kids) is subtitled “How Social Media Is Driving Our Mental Health Crisis--and How to Restore Our Sanity.” Kardaras, a professor at Stony Brook Medicine and an addiction expert, lays out a number of concerns in three parts: A World Gone Mad; Digital Dystopia; and The Ancient Cure. Readers should expect to be troubled by his insights. He describes societal (isolation, political polarization, etc.) and physical (obesity, diabetes) consequences of our social media and technology addiction. While Publishers Weekly says “readers will be unnerved,” Kirkus aptly summarizes Kardaras treatise as a “frightening diagnosis of a corrosive plague by an articulate expert in the field.” Kardaras holds strong opinions and shares them in memorable ways such as the parable of Digitus and the God A-Eye. He offers a bleak outlook despite his calls for using reason and honor and acting as a philosopher-warrior. The text is pretty dense for our students, but a key takeaway for them could be his wellness tips regarding daily exercise and meditation. Contains several pages of notes and an index.