Praise for Digital Madness:
¡°Mental health has become one of the biggest issues of our time and Dr. Kardaras highlights a perfect storm that may have irreversible damage to our health if we don¡¯t act quickly. The growing risks and distractions prevalent in our society have never existed as they do now, and I can only thank Dr. Kardaras for his perceptive insight that will no doubt lead to real solutions to tackle the greatest mental-health crisis of our time. A must-read.¡±
¡ªDr. Vanila M. Singh, M.D., Clinical Associate Professor, Stanford School of Medicine,
former Chief Medical Officer, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
¡°Digital Madness is the book we need now! So many of us have participated willingly in the creation of a society addicted to digital devices and social media. Those willing to put down their devices long enough to read this book will not only learn how we can begin to unplug, they will also learn how we can begin to recover and regain our collective sanity.¡±
¡ªPedro A. Noguera, Ph.D., Dean of the Rossier School of
Education at the University of Southern California
¡°Kardaras guides readers through a whirlwind exploration of social media£¿induced societal sickness. In our downward spiral of cultural crisis, Digital Madness¡ªlike Glow Kids before it¡ªshould be required reading for anyone who has ever clicked the Like button.¡±
¡ªJeff Greenberger, Ph.D., Stony Brook University,
Professor of Classics, and Fulbright Scholar
¡°Kardaras expertly dismantles the world of big tech in Digital Madness, blending personal and professional experience to write an essential guide to the relationship between technology and mental health. The result is a book that¡¯s moving, convincing, and¡ªgiven Kardaras¡¯s strength as a writer¡ªa pleasure to read.¡±
¡ªAdam Alter, New York Times bestselling author of Irresistible and Drunk Tank Pink and NYU Stern School of Business Professor of Marketing and Psychology
¡°Digital Madness is as fascinating as it is alarming, reminding us that just because social media is now ubiquitous, it doesn¡¯t have to go unchecked at the expense of mental well-being. Calling on individuals and society at large to acknowledge and address a myriad of implications, Dr. Kardaras is leading a movement to prioritize public health as we navigate uncharted waters.¡±
¡ªFormer congressman Patrick J. Kennedy, founder of the Kennedy Forum
¡°Digital Madness highlights in the most eloquent way our unnoticed prisoner self in the dark cave of social media. Dr. Kardaras addresses the impact of technology on mental health and our attempts to socialize in an ever-polarized digital world. In the wake of COVID-19, this book reflects our deepest concerns about life online, but also points the way out of the mental-health crisis. An outstanding contribution to contemporary mental-health matters, this is a must-read.¡±
¡ªZoe Rapti, Deputy Minister of Mental Health, Greece
"Something has gone seriously wrong with American society, and the root cause is d...igital technology.... A frightening diagnosis of a corrosive plague by an articulate expert in the field." ¡ªKirkus
¡°Psychologist Kardaras delivers a sobering account of how social media damages mental health. ¡¦ Kardaras uses easy to understand language to provide a bracing look at the toxic psychological effects of too much tech. ¡¦ Readers will be unnerved.¡± ¡ªPublishers Weekly
Praise for Glow Kids:
"A paradigm shifting, mind bending account of excess and tragedy that should serve as a clarion call to rethink our ever evolving relationship with advancing technology." ¡ªDr. Howard J. Shaffer, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
"Read this book. Save our children's brains, now." ¡ªPaula Poundstone, comedian, author, Social Commentator, Screen-Free Kids Activist
"An invaluable resource and a wake up call about the risks our children face when we allow unfettered access to 'screen time.'" ¡ªPedro A. Noguera, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Education at UCLA
"With the rigor of an investigative journalist and the insight of an addiction specialist, Kardaras manages to make a complex and uncomfortable topic both palatable and accessible. A highly recommended read." ¡ªVictoria Dunckley, MD, integrative child psychiatrist and author of Reset Your Child's Brain
Chapter Page
Introduction 1
Part I A World Gone Mad
1. Addicted to the Matrix 15
2. A World Gone Mad 43
3. The Social Contagion Effect 61
4. Viral Violence 87
5. Social Media and the Binary Trap 116
Part II Digital Dystopia
6. The New Technocracy 143
7. Maintaining the Dystopia 161
8. God Complexes and Immortality 182
Part III The Ancient Cure
9. My Personal Odyssey 197
10. Beyond Therapy 212
11. The Philosopher-Warrior 238
Acknowledgments 259
Notes 261