4 ms·

A very honest account by Adam that captures the anxiety of addiction, especially those moments of panic that cause us to fall back into smartphone dependency or

A very honest account by Adam that captures the anxiety of addiction, especially those moments of panic that cause us to fall back into smartphone dependency or use "just this last one time". This article will resonate with everyone working to take back tech in their lives, but succumbing to the (false but emotionally very real) sense of isolation and disconnection from the so-called "expectations of society". In Digital Vegan [1] I tried to re-word and make more accessible ideas from a book that I found life changing. It is called "Missing Out" by Adam Phillips [2]. It is written in quite dense, psychotherapeutic language that gives me pause to recommend it. If there's just one idea I'd love to get across it is within the subtitle "In Praise of the Unlived Life", which is not about Stoicism, abstinence as a virtue or any shallow "self-help" themes. It's deeper and darker, and about dealing with the loss that comes with being a real (true to yourself) person. People talk about FOMO, a "fear of missing out". And of a fear of being "left behind". But if the person next to you has their head blown off by a bullet, or everyone else is swept away by a tsunami wave, being the one who "missed out" or was "left behind" feels like survivor guilt. It means dealing with a kind of grief about the life you so nearly had, or chose to walk away from. The fact that you got the better deal, even though you know that to be profoundly true, sometimes still doesn't feel like enough. Cult escapees feel this too. [1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13369538-missing-out https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13369538-missing-out [2] https://digitalvegan.net https://digitalvegan.net

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
MandieD 5y ago
“Digital Vegan” is snappier than “Digital Selective Omnivore” for those us consciously trying to control our tech use, but I can’t find a positive term for people like my dad, who don’t directly use the Internet in a world that increasingly demands it. There needs to be a right to paper. A very specific example: for international air travel, it needs to be acceptable to give an email address from the airline or airport to receive Covid results; alternatively, anyone charging for Covid testing must be required to offer a printout of results (or at least make it very clear when booking the test that results are only available via email). A right to paper has privacy protections. If you have the right to receive and present required information on paper, you are not being required to carry and use a tracking device. And I say all this as someone who has had and enthusiastically used smartphones for over a decade, and the Internet since the mid 90s.
- nonrandomstring 5y ago
  Mandie, your dad, and millions of highly intelligent but independent thinkers around the world are represented in this insightful remark by Vint Cerf which I highlighted in a recent HN comment. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30975725 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30975725 Digital Rights are, at their very foundation, the right to choose your own technologies, including the right to choose none of the above without prejudicial disadvantage.
- frutiger 5y ago
  > for international air travel, it needs to be acceptable to give an email address I totally agree with the theme of your comment. However I feel compelled to point out that international air travel itself is not a right, but a privilege.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

MandieD 5y ago

“Digital Vegan” is snappier than “Digital Selective Omnivore” for those us consciously trying to control our tech use, but I can’t find a positive term for people like my dad, who don’t directly use the Internet in a world that increasingly demands it. There needs to be a right to paper. A very specific example: for international air travel, it needs to be acceptable to give an email address from the airline or airport to receive Covid results; alternatively, anyone charging for Covid testing must be required to offer a printout of results (or at least make it very clear when booking the test that results are only available via email). A right to paper has privacy protections. If you have the right to receive and present required information on paper, you are not being required to carry and use a tracking device. And I say all this as someone who has had and enthusiastically used smartphones for over a decade, and the Internet since the mid 90s.

nonrandomstring 5y ago
Mandie, your dad, and millions of highly intelligent but independent thinkers around the world are represented in this insightful remark by Vint Cerf which I highlighted in a recent HN comment. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30975725 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30975725 Digital Rights are, at their very foundation, the right to choose your own technologies, including the right to choose none of the above without prejudicial disadvantage.
frutiger 5y ago
> for international air travel, it needs to be acceptable to give an email address I totally agree with the theme of your comment. However I feel compelled to point out that international air travel itself is not a right, but a privilege.