Did anyone else hear the item on the Today programme...

No, what time was it on? And what did it say?

It was on about twenty past eight. Can't put a link yet as it is not yet up online.

It was Trevor Kavanagh who was political editor of the Sun. He went cold turkey on Twitter three months ago and has managed to not go back! He talked about the usual - time wasting and life being taken over by it, but the most interesting stuff was from the expert who was on with him.

Apparently being engaged in social media can mean that the very small part of the brain that is involved in lengthy concentration, becomes neglected, and therefore it can become harder to concentrate on reading a book.

Kavanagh spoke of his feeling of "release" after leaving all social media, and how he connected with "life" again, and went back to reading books. Very interesting, and worrying.

I don't "do" twitter or facebook, but I do recognise the time wasting of using the internet. I always check my emails while have breakfast (my family are the other side of the world and tend to email when I am in bed!). After that I check GN, then read the papers online and so on until I suddenly find a couple of hours have gone by and I am still sitting at the breakfast table! I now have a timer which rings after an hour and I make myself shut down the lap top and get on with all the things I am meant to be doing! (and it has just gone off!!!)

I don't do Facebook but have got hooked on Twitter. It really does take up a lot of time. I check tweets 2 times a day at about 1 hour each session but it does keep me in touch with news items and people. I enjoy posting tweets even though they aren't always read but hey..... I will admit I'm not reading as much and do have problems with insomnia but that is my obsession with Candy Crush!

Anyone want to follow me on Twitter? @judthepud2 You would be welcome.

It worries me. I'm constantly checking here and email and the online newspapers and my favourite blogs etc. and I've noticed my concentration has declined. I should do something about it before I turn into a total idiot! Lol!

I started using the computer as a way of stopping smoking [wouldn't smoke in the computer room therefore didn't smoke]. Very aware of the fact that I've swapped one addiction for another. I do find it difficult when I'm with a younger member of my family and they just sit looking at their phone or whatever. What also bothers me is how obsessed my grandsons are with computer games, even though their parents limit their use and the younger one does educational games. I'm sometimes quite relieved to be oop north and away from any temptation to go online but get very frustrated about not having instant access to anything I want to know. And, since I stopped work the pooter is my only way of having conversations with people. I used to read all the time and very rarely do so now and, when I do the book has to be very gripping to hold my attention. It does worry me.

This is something that worries me too. Since getting an iPad, which is portable as opposed to using a lap top or cumputer I have recently realised that I no longer do daily crosswords/code words or read a couple of books a week. Instead, I play Freecell and Boggle, google all sorts and dip in and out of Gransnet and ocassionally, Mumsnet plus E Mailing simply because I can access all this in any room.

Agus I get free library and Kindle books on my iPad, do crosswords and Sudoku, and much more, so still get to read lots. But then I went in a charity shop in New Mills the other day and came out with 10 books for 30p each, so the iPad can stay downstairs at bedtime whilst I read real books. It's nice to have the choice

Oh dear, I'm guilty of this too. I can't concentrate on a book for long either and waste far too much time messing about on the iPad. Agus you are right - it is too portable and I am rarely separated from mine.

I keep in touch with friends and family on facebook so I check it three or four times a day but it only takes a minute or two to reply to a post so I don't think that's a problem and it has put an end to costly phone calls!

I look in on Gransnet during the day but rarely take part in active discussions until the evening because I have a lot to do so can't keep up with four or five pages of posts - some of them quite lengthy.

I read just as much as I've always done which is at least two books a week and I look at online newspapers at lunchtime.

I don't think I'm addicted to social media but I did come out in a cold sweat last Friday when broadband went down for some unexplained reason

I now use my Kindle to download books but as it only has a small light attachment, I now load the book on to my iPad When, which has a backlight then I realise I am actually holding the iPad and concentration wanders as I start to think of,other things I could be doing.

Good plan, back to charity shops for books and iPad stays downstairs.

I used to love escaping into a good book Bella, so as from tonight, iPad stays downstairs and I will start reading Daisy Chain by GJ Moffat which I haven't even opened yet!

Sounds like total nonsense to me. I don't do twitter but, obviously, pay attention to Gransnet and am also on Facebook. Currently, I am working about 8 hours a day editing a book (non-fiction) and read 6–7 books (fiction) a week – some of them without any pictures.

the item is here It is especially interesting when the woman from the addiction clinic comes on.

Scoot slider along to 01.17.44.

Thanks for the link jingl.
Can't say I'm too worried. Perhaps Twitter has more addictive quaities than Facebook and Gransnet, which are my only vices!

I heard this too...was still half asleep. I don't use Twitter or Facebook and I try to only spend about an hour online in the evening. A newspaper article mentioned (this week) how people are no longer shy of saying they never read. The author said years ago you would always see people reading their paperbacks on buses, trains. But perhaps they are still reading on their phones, tablets instead? Or playing Candy Crush.

I invariably read my Kindle on trains and there's always at least one other Kindle-user in the carriage plus a good few watching something or other on a tablet.

How do you know they're not on Twitter? Or Gransnet.

I think it's possible for us to enjoy all kinds of things, internet, books, crosswords etc. The only thing that may suffer is the housework!I haven't noticed that I'm addicted to anything, as when I go on holiday am quite happy being without the internet, don't even take a mobile phone.I think it's more the younger ones that may be truly addicted, they always seem to be doing something techie, even on the bus they can't just look out of the window.