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> Your toothbrush is the greatest tool of all time. You only use it when you’re supposed to for as long as you need to and then let it go. I use my phone to pl

by V-2 7y ago

> Your toothbrush is the greatest tool of all time. You only use it when you’re supposed to for as long as you need to and then let it go. I use my phone to play blitz chess online (I'm a chess player; if you play chess, you shouldn't focus exclusively on blitz, but it does have its place eg. to help quickly practice new openings)... to listen to podcasts (for instance when I'm washing the dishes - no dishwasher where I live right now, now that's quite a setback)... or to read articles on Hacker News, for one. Do I need to do any of these? No. Certainly not in the same sense as I need brushing my teeth. But these are my pastimes. I also don't need reading a book, listening to a radio show or going to standup comedy. It's entertainment. A smartphone is not like a toothbrush, and there's no reason why it should be. Its applications go beyond bare necessities by design.

Funes- 7y ago
> to listen to podcasts [...] or to read articles on Hacker News, for one. Do I need to do any of these? No. Certainly not in the same sense as I need brushing my teeth. But these are my pastimes. I also don't need reading a book, listening to a radio show or going to standup comedy. It's entertainment. That's the thing: The apps that take up most of the average person's smartphone daily usage[0] are designed to exploit your psychological imperatives and vulnerabilities, so they can literally entertain you for as long as possible--that is, to divert the user from other, more intentional activities that are much more costly in terms of conscious preparation and effort, by means of frictionless, persuasive design[1]. Being able to entertain oneself by using an electronic device is not a bad thing per se; however, smartphones have enabled corporations to dictate our behavior during every single hour of our waking lives, turning it into a mindless, constant consumption of entertainment. Many people's lives have become a never-ending pastime. Our attention, our time, our true beliefs and desires are all we've got to develop as a person and lead a fulfilling life. We should think critically of something that permeates our lives as heavily as smartphones and their apps. [0] All the people ranging from 10 to ~20 years old that I've recently met significantly exceed the 2.5 hours of smartphone use per day that the article mentions. That only illustrates my own experience, but I believe it's something to think about. [1] https://captology.stanford.edu/about/about-the-lab-1.html https://captology.stanford.edu/about/about-the-lab-1.html.
- ekianjo 7y ago
  > Many people's lives have become a never-ending pastime. How is that different from people spending time watching TV back in the 80s and 90s? Nothing new. Most people have never been very productive with the free time they have. The main difference with a smartphone is that the access to content, at any time, is 1000 fold better than TV. But the behavior of wasting one's free time is pretty much unchanged.
  - Funes- 7y ago
    >How is that different from people spending time watching TV back in the 80s and 90s? Nothing new. You couldn't put your TV set in your pocket and take it out to watch a show whenever you liked in the 80s and 90s. Many people use their smartphones while driving, for example; that goes to show the clear difference in accessibility and what it entails. >But the behavior of wasting one's free time is pretty much unchanged. That's absolutely true. Nonetheless, I'm personally not okay with anyone exploiting that.
    - saiya-jin 7y ago
      Well, yes... so? Yes it is more accessible. Yes its more interactive. Your narrative of evil corporations manipulating mankind into obedient consuming of entertainment is basic cheaping out on simple human flaws - we want to relax, we can be horribly inefficient and achieve nothing and still be OK with it. We are all like that to some extent, in certain times. Advertisement being pushed is just extension of marketing that has been around since TV. Its just industry adapting to new means, nothing more.
      - Funes- 7y ago
        >Your narrative of evil corporations manipulating mankind into obedient consuming of entertainment Those are your words and your personal characterization of what I said, not mine. I see what you are trying to do. >Its just industry adapting to new means, nothing more. Are you implying that these practices, which can have awful consequences (distractions are the number one cause in car accidents[0], and they have skyrocketed as of late; I wonder why...) shouldn't concern anyone? That we shouldn't think critically about it even though it has been influencing our lives like nothing else before in the last decades? Look, I'm not trying to force anyone to stop using their smartphones; you can do whatever you want, of course. I'm just trying to voice my opinion on a matter that I believe to be of extreme importance. [0] https://www2.safetyserve.com/articles/distracted-driving-fact-sheet/ https://www2.safetyserve.com/articles/distracted-driving-fac...

by V-2 7y ago

Funes- 7y ago

> to listen to podcasts [...] or to read articles on Hacker News, for one. Do I need to do any of these? No. Certainly not in the same sense as I need brushing my teeth. But these are my pastimes. I also don't need reading a book, listening to a radio show or going to standup comedy. It's entertainment. That's the thing: The apps that take up most of the average person's smartphone daily usage[0] are designed to exploit your psychological imperatives and vulnerabilities, so they can literally entertain you for as long as possible--that is, to divert the user from other, more intentional activities that are much more costly in terms of conscious preparation and effort, by means of frictionless, persuasive design[1]. Being able to entertain oneself by using an electronic device is not a bad thing per se; however, smartphones have enabled corporations to dictate our behavior during every single hour of our waking lives, turning it into a mindless, constant consumption of entertainment. Many people's lives have become a never-ending pastime. Our attention, our time, our true beliefs and desires are all we've got to develop as a person and lead a fulfilling life. We should think critically of something that permeates our lives as heavily as smartphones and their apps. [0] All the people ranging from 10 to ~20 years old that I've recently met significantly exceed the 2.5 hours of smartphone use per day that the article mentions. That only illustrates my own experience, but I believe it's something to think about. [1] https://captology.stanford.edu/about/about-the-lab-1.html https://captology.stanford.edu/about/about-the-lab-1.html.

ekianjo 7y ago
> Many people's lives have become a never-ending pastime. How is that different from people spending time watching TV back in the 80s and 90s? Nothing new. Most people have never been very productive with the free time they have. The main difference with a smartphone is that the access to content, at any time, is 1000 fold better than TV. But the behavior of wasting one's free time is pretty much unchanged.
- Funes- 7y ago
  >How is that different from people spending time watching TV back in the 80s and 90s? Nothing new. You couldn't put your TV set in your pocket and take it out to watch a show whenever you liked in the 80s and 90s. Many people use their smartphones while driving, for example; that goes to show the clear difference in accessibility and what it entails. >But the behavior of wasting one's free time is pretty much unchanged. That's absolutely true. Nonetheless, I'm personally not okay with anyone exploiting that.
  - saiya-jin 7y ago
    Well, yes... so? Yes it is more accessible. Yes its more interactive. Your narrative of evil corporations manipulating mankind into obedient consuming of entertainment is basic cheaping out on simple human flaws - we want to relax, we can be horribly inefficient and achieve nothing and still be OK with it. We are all like that to some extent, in certain times. Advertisement being pushed is just extension of marketing that has been around since TV. Its just industry adapting to new means, nothing more.
    - Funes- 7y ago
      >Your narrative of evil corporations manipulating mankind into obedient consuming of entertainment Those are your words and your personal characterization of what I said, not mine. I see what you are trying to do. >Its just industry adapting to new means, nothing more. Are you implying that these practices, which can have awful consequences (distractions are the number one cause in car accidents[0], and they have skyrocketed as of late; I wonder why...) shouldn't concern anyone? That we shouldn't think critically about it even though it has been influencing our lives like nothing else before in the last decades? Look, I'm not trying to force anyone to stop using their smartphones; you can do whatever you want, of course. I'm just trying to voice my opinion on a matter that I believe to be of extreme importance. [0] https://www2.safetyserve.com/articles/distracted-driving-fact-sheet/ https://www2.safetyserve.com/articles/distracted-driving-fac...