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Sure, she likely exaggerated things for narrative effect. I sympathize with those who are enslaved to their devices. It's an addiction, and it often correlates

Sure, she likely exaggerated things for narrative effect. I sympathize with those who are enslaved to their devices. It's an addiction, and it often correlates with mental health issues. Such people need help and guidance – not sarcastic dismissal. But, like any other addiction, the first step is taking responsibility. Instead of blaming the world for "hacking" your brain and sub-dividing your attention ad infinitum ... Take a step back and figure out what is (and isn't) under your control. Break the cycle. Have the courage to reject things that aren't serving you.

ryandrake 6y ago
Part of the solution is just turning off notifications. Half of what the author described is apps interrupting what she was doing, demanding her attention. All smartphones provide the option to turn off these interruptions and badges. Just do it and never look back. I've gone even farther in that I run Do-Not-Disturb mode 24/7, so no notifications of any kind, no texts, even no phone calls. You can take back your attention when it's being stolen. You're totally right about the other half though, it's got to be some kind of addiction. Her compulsion to keep "checking" things online. Checking facebook, checking instagram, checking the news, checking the likes on this, checking messages on that, checking Slack, checking E-mail, even checking her frequent flyer mile count (WTF?). What is all this checking? What on earth is so important that you keep needing to poll for status updates? This behavior seems to be beyond what one could rationally explain and I agree with you that some professional help and guidance is probably in order!
samatman 6y ago
The AA twelve-step program isn't Gospel, and it wasn't handed down on tablets at Sinai. But it does encapsulate a lot of wisdom, and the first step is to admit powerlessness over the addiction. That's what you're missing here, is that by definition addicts feel out of control of their own behavior. Without that loss of control, it's not an addiction, it's just a habit you spend a lot of time on. Look, it's obvious this isn't a subject you know anything about, and congratulations on that. But maybe stop making confident pronouncements which don't work.
- nobody9999 6y ago
  >The AA twelve-step program isn't Gospel, and it wasn't handed down on tablets at Sinai. >But it does encapsulate a lot of wisdom, and the first step is to admit powerlessness over the addiction. That's right, except about being powerless. I'm not downing AA, as it has helped many people over the years. In fact, My brother is a friend of Bill and has been clean for 36 years. And up until the lockdowns, he still went to meetings. However, the twelve steps aren't a panacea. In fact, some estimate[0] that only 5-8% of those who engage with AA actually end up clean and sticking with it. I disagree with the idea that you need to "admit powerlessness." And the rest of the pseudo-religious mumbo-jumbo is just that. Addiction is not a failure of willpower. To beat it, willpower is required, but it's often (usually) not enough. >Look, it's obvious this isn't a subject you know anything about, and congratulations on that. But maybe stop making confident pronouncements which don't work. It may not have been for GP, but it is for me -- not just WRT my brother -- but in my own life and issues with substance abuse. There is no one right answer for everyone. And AA's methods, while not harmful (and often beneficial, even if the message is couched in hokey religious terms) can and does help many people. But it's not the only, nor is it the best, way to help people address addiction -- whether that be alcohol, drugs, technology or anything else. [0] https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/04/the-irrationality-of-alcoholics-anonymous/386255/ https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/04/the-irr... Edit: Corrected estimate of success rate for AA.

ryandrake 6y ago

Part of the solution is just turning off notifications. Half of what the author described is apps interrupting what she was doing, demanding her attention. All smartphones provide the option to turn off these interruptions and badges. Just do it and never look back. I've gone even farther in that I run Do-Not-Disturb mode 24/7, so no notifications of any kind, no texts, even no phone calls. You can take back your attention when it's being stolen. You're totally right about the other half though, it's got to be some kind of addiction. Her compulsion to keep "checking" things online. Checking facebook, checking instagram, checking the news, checking the likes on this, checking messages on that, checking Slack, checking E-mail, even checking her frequent flyer mile count (WTF?). What is all this checking? What on earth is so important that you keep needing to poll for status updates? This behavior seems to be beyond what one could rationally explain and I agree with you that some professional help and guidance is probably in order!

samatman 6y ago

The AA twelve-step program isn't Gospel, and it wasn't handed down on tablets at Sinai. But it does encapsulate a lot of wisdom, and the first step is to admit powerlessness over the addiction. That's what you're missing here, is that by definition addicts feel out of control of their own behavior. Without that loss of control, it's not an addiction, it's just a habit you spend a lot of time on. Look, it's obvious this isn't a subject you know anything about, and congratulations on that. But maybe stop making confident pronouncements which don't work.

nobody9999 6y ago
>The AA twelve-step program isn't Gospel, and it wasn't handed down on tablets at Sinai. >But it does encapsulate a lot of wisdom, and the first step is to admit powerlessness over the addiction. That's right, except about being powerless. I'm not downing AA, as it has helped many people over the years. In fact, My brother is a friend of Bill and has been clean for 36 years. And up until the lockdowns, he still went to meetings. However, the twelve steps aren't a panacea. In fact, some estimate[0] that only 5-8% of those who engage with AA actually end up clean and sticking with it. I disagree with the idea that you need to "admit powerlessness." And the rest of the pseudo-religious mumbo-jumbo is just that. Addiction is not a failure of willpower. To beat it, willpower is required, but it's often (usually) not enough. >Look, it's obvious this isn't a subject you know anything about, and congratulations on that. But maybe stop making confident pronouncements which don't work. It may not have been for GP, but it is for me -- not just WRT my brother -- but in my own life and issues with substance abuse. There is no one right answer for everyone. And AA's methods, while not harmful (and often beneficial, even if the message is couched in hokey religious terms) can and does help many people. But it's not the only, nor is it the best, way to help people address addiction -- whether that be alcohol, drugs, technology or anything else. [0] https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/04/the-irrationality-of-alcoholics-anonymous/386255/ https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/04/the-irr... Edit: Corrected estimate of success rate for AA.