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> 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 behavio

by V-2 7y ago

> 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 I see it as a mere externalization of responsiblity for being, well, lazy. Somehow I'm never browsing Facebook or Instagram for pictures of cats and the like. I guess they must have overlooked me when they "dictated" behavior to people. > Many people's lives have become a never-ending pastime. Yes, ever since we no longer work in the field for 15 hours a day ;) There are pastimes, and there are pastimes though. It's pointless to pretend all are equal - in terms of intellectual or aesthetic stimulation. > We should think critically of something that permeates our lives as heavily as smartphones and their apps. I agree.

anoncake 7y ago
> Somehow I'm never browsing Facebook or Instagram for pictures of cats and the like. I guess they must have overlooked me when they "dictated" behavior to people. It's great that the methods Facebook uses don't work on you, be it because their "product" just does not interest you or because you have above average self-control. Other people are not as lucky.
- V-2 7y ago
  My point is that adopting such point of view is a form of fatalism that leads to erosion of self-control.
  - anoncake 7y ago
    Realizing that your and other's self-control has limits does not erode it any more than realizing you are not Usain Bolt keeps you from walking. But pretending it has no limits means we rely too much on it when instead we should reduce the need for it. It also means we expect people to resist manipulation when they simply can't.
    - V-2 7y ago
      But "someone tries to manipulate me" is a quite different mindset than "someone dictates my behavior turning my life it into something mindless" (to slightly paraphrase the comment I originally responded to). Perhaps it's a matter of phrasing that irked me.
      - anoncake 7y ago
        But the issue is not that someone tries to manipulate us, but that they – partially – succeed. So saying that they “dictate our behavior” may be hyperbole, but aside from that, it's the better mindset. Denying a problem exists is rarely useful. Of course if you understand “dictate” as “dictate to the extent that I cannot resist”, then you might as well deny the issue you believe you can't deal with anyway.

by V-2 7y ago

anoncake 7y ago

> Somehow I'm never browsing Facebook or Instagram for pictures of cats and the like. I guess they must have overlooked me when they "dictated" behavior to people. It's great that the methods Facebook uses don't work on you, be it because their "product" just does not interest you or because you have above average self-control. Other people are not as lucky.

V-2 7y ago
My point is that adopting such point of view is a form of fatalism that leads to erosion of self-control.
- anoncake 7y ago
  Realizing that your and other's self-control has limits does not erode it any more than realizing you are not Usain Bolt keeps you from walking. But pretending it has no limits means we rely too much on it when instead we should reduce the need for it. It also means we expect people to resist manipulation when they simply can't.
  - V-2 7y ago
    But "someone tries to manipulate me" is a quite different mindset than "someone dictates my behavior turning my life it into something mindless" (to slightly paraphrase the comment I originally responded to). Perhaps it's a matter of phrasing that irked me.
    - anoncake 7y ago
      But the issue is not that someone tries to manipulate us, but that they – partially – succeed. So saying that they “dictate our behavior” may be hyperbole, but aside from that, it's the better mindset. Denying a problem exists is rarely useful. Of course if you understand “dictate” as “dictate to the extent that I cannot resist”, then you might as well deny the issue you believe you can't deal with anyway.