I didn't know anything about cybertime before I read Prof Strate's chapter. It had however occurred to me, especially with the recent change to daylight savings time, that there is something unnatural about the way we let time rule our days. Time is an arbitrary conception and I wanted to see what others thought of the idea that the rhythm of life as we know it today may not be natural or healthy. Ancient peoples connected time with the rising of the sun and the moon. People awoke when the sun rose and slept when it set. Doctors refer to our sleep schedule as our circadian rhythm and it turns out that this is mostly based on the concept of daylight. A change in out circadian rhythm is related to all kinds of health problems. These can be as mild as jet lag or as severe as sleep disorders and bipolar disorder.
The chapter also speaks of the nanosecond culture which can create stress because of the instantaneous effects of cybertime on the increasing speed and impatience in which we live out lives. This instantaneous and constant connection to cybertime, while we are in a real time world adds to the stress of nanosecond culture.
I don't have any formal research to back these claims up at the moment, but what are your thoughts?
There certainly have been a number of news stories about the ill effects of our 24/7 work schedules. As for Daylight Savings Time, that has been, ever since its conception, a political issue. It serves the purposes of urban areas, while farmers have been opposed to it.
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