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This topic is gaining momentum rapidly! The following discussion (of a more recent article specifically focused on how immediately available overwhelming choice

by j_s 9y ago

This topic is gaining momentum rapidly! The following discussion (of a more recent article specifically focused on how immediately available overwhelming choice has impacted music listening habits) was on the front page today: Too Much Music: A Failed Experiment in Dedicated Listening | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16158888 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16158888 The diluvial [flood] nature of modern media leaves us little time to pause. The challenge, then, is to cultivate the patience and the discipline necessary to engage more deeply than the modern world allows. Just because we are flooded doesn't mean we have to drown. HN user kenning summarized it this way (talking about Facebook specifically, but I believe the comment applies): I think cigarettes are a great comparison. I heard it a few years back. When popular, a huge amount of the population used cigarettes despite growing research showing that it had a slight but consistent harmful effect. A hooked individual is unlikely to stop using even when given this evidence, as the product is addictive and gets stronger with network effects. Younger generations understood the harm better and had to avoid regular temptation to engage. source: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15784708 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15784708

snarfy 9y ago
Ironically, as someone who smokes I think smoking has saved me from the noise. Before it was a way to socialize but now it has a social stigma and I generally smoke alone. Instead of getting distracted and opening a new tab on hacker news I'll go outside and smoke and think about the problem I'm working on. Smoking gives measured distractions, as opposed to random phone surfing and messaging. I don't do that. I'm fine sitting two hours at the auto mechanic waiting for my car with no phone, but halfway through I'm going to go outside and smoke.
- throwanem 9y ago
  I quit a couple months ago, because lately I find that the toll of the vice outweighs the pleasure of it. But I haven't quit taking smoke breaks, because they're far too useful to give up for precisely the reasons you describe.

by j_s 9y ago

snarfy 9y ago

Ironically, as someone who smokes I think smoking has saved me from the noise. Before it was a way to socialize but now it has a social stigma and I generally smoke alone. Instead of getting distracted and opening a new tab on hacker news I'll go outside and smoke and think about the problem I'm working on. Smoking gives measured distractions, as opposed to random phone surfing and messaging. I don't do that. I'm fine sitting two hours at the auto mechanic waiting for my car with no phone, but halfway through I'm going to go outside and smoke.

throwanem 9y ago
I quit a couple months ago, because lately I find that the toll of the vice outweighs the pleasure of it. But I haven't quit taking smoke breaks, because they're far too useful to give up for precisely the reasons you describe.