M.S.: That one would be bullying as a perfect example. Bullying is, unfortunately, it's a natural human behavior, othering. It defines social hierarchy, if you go back to the 1100s, in famine, it defines who gets fed, who doesn't, for survival over township, it defines types of things in illness or in battle. It does make sense, it's not pretty, but it does make sense but in 2015, we don't really need this in what we refer to as modern culture yet it's innate in us. And bullying I guess my point is bullying was always here but cyber bullying magnifies to an extent that just didn't exist in yester years. One of the major differences is when I talk about groups and belonging and survival of groups. If a child, for example, we are being bullied at school or an adolescent for that matter and what I refer to as yester year, there are other places where they could belong. So school could be hell but then they'd go home to a loving environment where this peer group bullying them was not present. Perhaps they belong to a church group, perhaps they belong to a boys and girls club, perhaps they played with other children in the neighborhood. Meaning they could find solace or they could find shelter and belonging in other groups. Now they can't. Peer groups still are little cliques but all information goes across cliques across neighborhoods and the bullying never stops, it's 24/7 and there's absolutely no escape from it.
Rob: Unless they go offline.
M.S.: But they don't.
Rob: Because they're addicted.
M.S.: One is the addicted, yes, but the other is this is where I talk about the flash and the pulling and, yes that's the addiction component but it's also I think going a little bit more primal than that. If you have, again, looking back in terms of why we bully in terms of definition of groups and othering the children are actually trying to protect themselves so they're actually engaging in what they believe is a survival behavior. So from a psychological perspective, it makes sense so I think this is where elders are really critical in that we, parents, teachers, grandparents, elders if you know that a child is being bullied, they essentially need assistance, they need the digital devices removed because they can't help themselves. So 50% yes, is the addictive component, the other 50% is a perceived survival component.
Rob: Perceived survival?
M.S.: Yes so essentially if we go back to a famine situation and you are being othered to not receive the food for your survival, you would negotiate with the bullies, try and belong to the group, try and be included because you also needed food.
Rob: Wow, so I could have a three hour, four hour interview with you on this but I got a limited and there's so much I got to get into. Let's talk about these iBabies because this is in an area that I have the least knowledge about. Now, how old are the oldest iBabies?
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