8 ms·

Will we be addicted to our phones forever? An optimistic outlook

43 points by roycebranning 3y ago

jmoak3 3y ago
I swapped to https://www.thelightphone.com/ https://www.thelightphone.com/ as my phone. According to my iPhone, my daily usage hovered around 7 hours. It's relatively expensive and a little janky but it's insane how much more time I feel I have in my day. My work has improved (if my commit-calendars are any indication), and I no longer spend time in bed scrolling when I sleep / wake up. Many people try "Sober October" - I've just completed "Dumbphone December" and I don't think I'll be going back.
TylerE 3y ago
Kind of funny how for decades people were wishing for some sort of Star Trek device that put the world's knowledge literally in your pocket. Now that we have it...
- vkou 3y ago
  If Star Trek had what we did, it wouldn't look quite as desirable.
- danparsonson 3y ago
  The trouble is that, in addition to all the world's knowledge, our devices put all the world's opinions in our pockets too....
- smolder 3y ago
  We have a substantial portion of the worlds knowledge available via smartphones, but it's obscured by a bunch of dishonesty, misinfo, attempts at manipulation, etc. In aggregate it's more like a battleground of thought than a utopian collection of knowledge. I'd say that's pretty far off from what Roddenberry imagined.
- Krasnol 3y ago
  It reminds me more of the TNG episode "The Game" where Wesley Crusher brings back that addictive game device: https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/The_Game_(episode) https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/The_Game_(episode)
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- timbit42 3y ago
  We're one step away from being constantly connected to the hive like the Borg.
- yetanother12345 3y ago
  > World's knowledge During my ventures into public space it is impossible not to notice this "knowledge", and that so much as to even note the character of it. I would personally use another word. Perhaps "pastime", "mindless entertainment", that sort of thing. What I observe is generally people browsing through photo stacks, video stacks, audio tracks, or comment stacks. Always browsing, never resting, as if even the concept of reflection is non-existant. So how, I must ask rhetorically, should any "knowledge" enter into the scene? I never, ever see anything resembling "knowledge work" except for those fellow commuters who use their laptops. Or the extreme minority who read non-fiction books (those are not observed every week -- not even every month -- as students who are the only class of people who are both numerous and have to read non-fiction now read this stuff off-screen on their laptop in stead).
vasco 3y ago
We'll forever be addicted to the shared global (or interplanetary at some point) information network, but the phone itself won't be needed forever. I don't think there's a way to get a human to not want to know what other people think about stuff or to more generally get information for free in real time. This plus access to computational power is a pretty good combo. If the interface is a brain chip or a phone or whatever, it doesn't matter.
- XorNot 3y ago
  People complain all the time about "being addicted to our phones" but my memory of the world pre-smartphone was that newspapers and magazines were everywhere and frankly...I'm not really seeing the difference - in quality or content. Because while "the newspaper" was always considered respectable...that's ignoring the endless mounds of gossip magazines, fashion magazines, lifestyle...basically every category which has now moved to Instagram and YouTube. People went somewhere and it was expected that there'd be magazines and newspapers to read.
  - Levitz 3y ago
    People didn't pull out a magazine while in a group and read an article for 5 minutes. a bus wouldn't be literally filled with nothing but people reading magazines and books, nobody punished their children by taking their magazines away. We did have, say, "portable entertainment". music players were kinda similar to this too, but yeah there is a massive difference.
    - squigz 3y ago
      > a bus wouldn't be literally filled with nothing but people reading magazines and books Laughably wrong. > nobody punished their children by taking their magazines away. Also wrong, but less laughably so, as this happened to me (well, with books) :P
    - pixl97 3y ago
      https://brendenmulligan.com/in-1950-i-doubt-anyone-ever-checked-their-newspaper-during-dinner-919632592cb5 https://brendenmulligan.com/in-1950-i-doubt-anyone-ever-chec... >I just wanted to share the above photo of a subway car from 1947 where every single person, even though they’re in a confined space together, aren’t paying any attention to each other because they’re reading media on a newspaper. The recent version of this is, of course, cellphones and iPads, yet the same people out there who hate change continue to cry foul.
johnea 3y ago
I think the only hope is if the next generation sees it as something that only out of touch old people do...
- tavavex 3y ago
  Well yeah, they will - if anything, because it's likely we'll have some brand new method of ingesting information available in the near future - just like smartphones replaced desktop computers that replaced physical media as the "mainstream" information sources, something will eventually replace what we have now.
laszlojamf 3y ago
Although it's nice to hear an optimistic perspective, I can't help but think it's overly optimistic. 1. I don't think moderation works for most people who struggle with addiction. I think this is fairly incontroversial. AA doesn't give out "only-one-drink-a-day" chips. 2. The reason we got smoking under control, I suspect at least, is because the downsides are so obvious. And even then it took a long time. I feel like the negative effects of technology usage are so much more varied and subtle that it's going to be hard for society to rally around an opposition movement the way it's done for smoking. I hope the article is right and I'm wrong, but it feels a little bit like another "the solution to tech's problems is more tech"-argument
darklycan51 3y ago
I don't really use my phone as a software developer, mostly because I have my pc with me all the time and pretty much all software is better on pc than on phones (thanks Apple/Google). I don't really know what people are doing to be addicted to their phones? maybe you're just addicted to social media? find other hobbies...
- SethMurphy 3y ago
  This for one. This site is on the dopamine list. Phone is a metaphor. Choose your addictions wisely. Edit: removed unnecessary, kinda rude, wording.
  - deafpolygon 3y ago
    What other sites are on the dopamine list?
    - SethMurphy 3y ago
      It's a term I just coined and wasn't meant literally. I was referring to interactions that make you feel good and unintentionally become a habit. Myself, I come here to feel clever and learn by engaging in subject matter that interests me. I don't always hit the mark, but I try. I also realize others use social media such as Facebook for the same reason. In my younger days I may have done the same by conversing with strangers in coffee shops or bars.
- tavavex 3y ago
  "Phone" is a shorthand, because a ton of people seem to be using phones as their primary computing devices. They're streamlined and they have everything the average Joe could ever want - mostly a few social media apps and similar. But also, the wording is definitely deliberate - the post is published by a company that's developed an iPhone app to combat this "addiction". So there's definitely some marketing angle involved here.
- nunez 3y ago
  YouTube videos. Streaming. Scrolling Instagram/tiktok. Tons of messaging. Games. Reddit, to a lesser extent. Those are the usual suspects.
holoduke 3y ago
We will be walking arround with ar glasses containing so much info that you would literally not able to survive without turning them on 24 hours a day. My doom scenario
mondomondo 3y ago
I’m definitely less addicted to my phone than I was before all the obvious Russian botting happened on every social media forum in 2016.
louthy 3y ago
It’s not just what the phones give us (in terms of connectivity), it seems we’re addicted to the light itself (same with TV before). Presumably, this is some primal sitting-round-the-fire type impulse.
- wilsonnb3 3y ago
  I don’t think smartphones would be meaningfully less addictive if they used old school, non backlit display technology.
karaterobot 3y ago
I suppose that selling the solution is what makes the author so optimistic about the problem.
pizzafeelsright 3y ago
Luddites and neoludites and similar Amish type will expand their foothold into different cultures. I personally am going to be adjusting my usage as it is impacting my life and negative ways. I've already added timers and limits and will soon be going to grayscale only. What I do hope for which does not yet exist is the ability to use voice GPT at selective moments with a finger tap of an ear bud. I have noticed a growing divide between those who have phones in their hands and those who have phones by proximity. I have some friends who take a day or two to text me back because I simply don't use their phone.
- bobbylarrybobby 3y ago
  Sounds like you may want https://hu.ma.ne/ https://hu.ma.ne/
  - tavavex 3y ago
    $700 + $24/month subscription? Wow, that functionality better be really good.
  - pizzafeelsright 3y ago
    Somewhat related but I consider it a poor design on many levels.
- tavavex 3y ago
  I'm curious - why would an earbud-activated LLM be preferable to just the normal interface with typing in the request? And why GPT specifically? I can see the point with technologies that integrate directly into the surrounding environment, like using Google Lens to look up information about a real object, or translate printed text, and so on. But the LLM will still be a text generator either way - is it just about being able to dictate a request out loud and have the reply be read back?
  - pizzafeelsright 3y ago
    Generic term GPT for LLM I suppose. As for the type of interface, having a screen requires eyeball attention that I rather have on the task at hand. This would remove the "device in hand" that a commpad/smartphone/tablet requires. Me @ Kitchen: tap earbud & speak "read my favorite apple pie recipe list of ingredients" as I inventory the pantry.
m3kw9 3y ago
AR replaces phones easily, but technically AR is just an evolution from phones. Instead of holding the phone the the face, it’s held there for you + AR
newsclues 3y ago
I think we are going to see a time when social media progresses through the same celebrated to acceptance to tolerance that cigarette smoking has gone through. Social media is no longer cool.
nunez 3y ago
> Americans spend more than 4 hours a day on their phones, and more than half say they are addicted to their cell phone. More like seven hours per day: https://www.bankmycell.com/blog/average-screen-time-on-iphone-android#section-2 https://www.bankmycell.com/blog/average-screen-time-on-iphon... As long as phone screens continue to be perfect for handheld entertainment and phone apps continue to be designed for infinite thoughtless consumption, then the answer will remain "yes". I 1000% blame social media companies for intentionally designing their apps and the content presented on them to drive engagement and taking advantage of psychology that makes people want to scroll while they are driving, for example.
- yetanother12345 3y ago
  > I 1000% blame social media companies for intentionally designing their apps I'm not a smartphone user, so I ask out of curiosity: Do people really have no agency anymore? No self-discipline? I've read this statement that it's "the machine's fault" in numerous versions but I'm puzzled by it. If you don't like the screen, why don't you just turn it off, or toss it in the bin?
  - hydrok9 3y ago
    why don't you just throw the cigarette on the ground? why don't you just stop drinking?
MrGinkgo 3y ago
I feel the trouble with comparing social media to cigarettes is that cigarettes are kind of their own self-contained "thing". For instance, while you can smoke a cigarette on your own and focus your entire attention towards it, it's kind of technically impossible to use social media alone, even if there's no one else in the room with you. The "content" isn't pre-packaged and finite, it's constant and living, fueled by other people. That's the big trouble with leaving social media for a lot of people. It's a kind of prisoner's dillemma where the only meaningful way to stop it is to organize with your friends to quit it/explore alternatives as well. More than just insecure feelings of FOMO, the trouble with quitting social media is that you become really out of the loop with your friends' activities, since its benefit has always been being able to efficiently update your friends. It seems like unless you have some way of staying in contact with them, you may as well be invisible. I do love the analogy of a donut which becomes heavier as you reach closer to overconsumption, though. A while back I got tired of all the noise on youtube and installed an extension called "unhook tube" which makes all the recommended videos in the sidebar just disappear. I wonder if there'd be a way to impliment an extension for instagram/facebook and the other 'scrollers', where the longer you use it, the more difficult it becomes to scroll, and the longer it takes for posts to load. It'd be like the benefit of having a fickle water heater, in that it keeps you from staying in the shower too long once the water gets too cold. In terms of facilitating moderation, this seems like the easiest solution.
- tocs3 3y ago
  The more casually social media is used the more packaged it is. That is why you use a tool to mute the youtube content. I think youtube is amazing. There are incredible gems entertaining, practical, etc. The trouble is you have to wade through lots less amazing content to get to the gems. The trouble is real life is just as packaged by corporations. Entertainment is Disney/Hollywood. Practical things Homedepot (I have a very dim view of homedepot). Sports, buy fancy shiny equipment and join expensive gyms. Pro sports, gamble (online). Real life is often just as empty. Why abandon your phone? Tech companies have hit on a real moneymaker. Provide cheap entertainment without the brick and mortar. I am lucky that I have mostly made a living doing things in the real world and in "virtual spaces". I have the resources to do the things I enjoy without much commercial involvement. It is getting harder to do this in real life. When I need some bolts to build something Homedepot (I have a very dim view of homedepot) prices are insane. The nearest good fastener store is over and hour away. Online sources are amazing but now I have to wade through online empty calories to deal with real life shit. More options in every area would be helpful but we cannot expect corporations or government to help. They make money making real life difficult and selling us online content when we are to tired to do anything else. I despair sometimes but the real world is incredible and ... well whatever. Maybe one day ...
tocs3 3y ago
So, I know I am a little late to the party here but I think party of the problem is not the smartphone screens. As a society we are doing dismal job of making reality an interesting place to live. As an example education (at least for me, I'm 54yo) we are told to study something interesting, follow dreams, get good at something academic. Then access to every tool and resource taken away and we are told to go make a living. No fancy tools or studios, the time and environment to do something interesting is taken away. It is replaced with drudgery and cheap entertainment. Think Disney, Hollywood movies, pro sports/gambling, other prepackaged activities, and cellphones. Government, large/medium corporations, startups have zero incentive to help. Enough people get through the education system to fill what jobs are needed and the rest can [modern equivalent to flipping burgers] and look at their phones. Excuse my writing. The education system did not work out for me and my family works with our hands. I enjoy working with my hands. I am one of the lucky ones. I tried mainstream and it is miserable. I am glad for the tech industry and the internet and the like. We need to do better for those that are not working for management in what is essentially the company town. It will be a better more enjoyable world if we can. Makespaces? More funding and expanded mandates for public libraries. Extending what education means and how long people can be involved. I don't know what.
tocs3 3y ago
I have commented below and I would say more but I have to go pay my credit card bill. Real life sucks.

43 points by roycebranning 3y ago

I swapped to https://www.thelightphone.com/ https://www.thelightphone.com/ as my phone. According to my iPhone, my daily usage hovered around 7 hours. It's relatively expensive and a little janky but it's insane how much more time I feel I have in my day. My work has improved (if my commit-calendars are any indication), and I no longer spend time in bed scrolling when I sleep / wake up. Many people try "Sober October" - I've just completed "Dumbphone December" and I don't think I'll be going back.

TylerE 3y ago

Kind of funny how for decades people were wishing for some sort of Star Trek device that put the world's knowledge literally in your pocket. Now that we have it...

vkou 3y ago
If Star Trek had what we did, it wouldn't look quite as desirable.
danparsonson 3y ago
The trouble is that, in addition to all the world's knowledge, our devices put all the world's opinions in our pockets too....
smolder 3y ago
We have a substantial portion of the worlds knowledge available via smartphones, but it's obscured by a bunch of dishonesty, misinfo, attempts at manipulation, etc. In aggregate it's more like a battleground of thought than a utopian collection of knowledge. I'd say that's pretty far off from what Roddenberry imagined.
Krasnol 3y ago
It reminds me more of the TNG episode "The Game" where Wesley Crusher brings back that addictive game device: https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/The_Game_(episode) https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/The_Game_(episode)
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
timbit42 3y ago
We're one step away from being constantly connected to the hive like the Borg.
yetanother12345 3y ago
> World's knowledge During my ventures into public space it is impossible not to notice this "knowledge", and that so much as to even note the character of it. I would personally use another word. Perhaps "pastime", "mindless entertainment", that sort of thing. What I observe is generally people browsing through photo stacks, video stacks, audio tracks, or comment stacks. Always browsing, never resting, as if even the concept of reflection is non-existant. So how, I must ask rhetorically, should any "knowledge" enter into the scene? I never, ever see anything resembling "knowledge work" except for those fellow commuters who use their laptops. Or the extreme minority who read non-fiction books (those are not observed every week -- not even every month -- as students who are the only class of people who are both numerous and have to read non-fiction now read this stuff off-screen on their laptop in stead).

vasco 3y ago

We'll forever be addicted to the shared global (or interplanetary at some point) information network, but the phone itself won't be needed forever. I don't think there's a way to get a human to not want to know what other people think about stuff or to more generally get information for free in real time. This plus access to computational power is a pretty good combo. If the interface is a brain chip or a phone or whatever, it doesn't matter.

XorNot 3y ago
People complain all the time about "being addicted to our phones" but my memory of the world pre-smartphone was that newspapers and magazines were everywhere and frankly...I'm not really seeing the difference - in quality or content. Because while "the newspaper" was always considered respectable...that's ignoring the endless mounds of gossip magazines, fashion magazines, lifestyle...basically every category which has now moved to Instagram and YouTube. People went somewhere and it was expected that there'd be magazines and newspapers to read.
- Levitz 3y ago
  People didn't pull out a magazine while in a group and read an article for 5 minutes. a bus wouldn't be literally filled with nothing but people reading magazines and books, nobody punished their children by taking their magazines away. We did have, say, "portable entertainment". music players were kinda similar to this too, but yeah there is a massive difference.
  - squigz 3y ago
    > a bus wouldn't be literally filled with nothing but people reading magazines and books Laughably wrong. > nobody punished their children by taking their magazines away. Also wrong, but less laughably so, as this happened to me (well, with books) :P
  - pixl97 3y ago
    https://brendenmulligan.com/in-1950-i-doubt-anyone-ever-checked-their-newspaper-during-dinner-919632592cb5 https://brendenmulligan.com/in-1950-i-doubt-anyone-ever-chec... >I just wanted to share the above photo of a subway car from 1947 where every single person, even though they’re in a confined space together, aren’t paying any attention to each other because they’re reading media on a newspaper. The recent version of this is, of course, cellphones and iPads, yet the same people out there who hate change continue to cry foul.

johnea 3y ago

I think the only hope is if the next generation sees it as something that only out of touch old people do...

tavavex 3y ago
Well yeah, they will - if anything, because it's likely we'll have some brand new method of ingesting information available in the near future - just like smartphones replaced desktop computers that replaced physical media as the "mainstream" information sources, something will eventually replace what we have now.

laszlojamf 3y ago

Although it's nice to hear an optimistic perspective, I can't help but think it's overly optimistic. 1. I don't think moderation works for most people who struggle with addiction. I think this is fairly incontroversial. AA doesn't give out "only-one-drink-a-day" chips. 2. The reason we got smoking under control, I suspect at least, is because the downsides are so obvious. And even then it took a long time. I feel like the negative effects of technology usage are so much more varied and subtle that it's going to be hard for society to rally around an opposition movement the way it's done for smoking. I hope the article is right and I'm wrong, but it feels a little bit like another "the solution to tech's problems is more tech"-argument

darklycan51 3y ago

I don't really use my phone as a software developer, mostly because I have my pc with me all the time and pretty much all software is better on pc than on phones (thanks Apple/Google). I don't really know what people are doing to be addicted to their phones? maybe you're just addicted to social media? find other hobbies...

SethMurphy 3y ago
This for one. This site is on the dopamine list. Phone is a metaphor. Choose your addictions wisely. Edit: removed unnecessary, kinda rude, wording.
- deafpolygon 3y ago
  What other sites are on the dopamine list?
  - SethMurphy 3y ago
    It's a term I just coined and wasn't meant literally. I was referring to interactions that make you feel good and unintentionally become a habit. Myself, I come here to feel clever and learn by engaging in subject matter that interests me. I don't always hit the mark, but I try. I also realize others use social media such as Facebook for the same reason. In my younger days I may have done the same by conversing with strangers in coffee shops or bars.
tavavex 3y ago
"Phone" is a shorthand, because a ton of people seem to be using phones as their primary computing devices. They're streamlined and they have everything the average Joe could ever want - mostly a few social media apps and similar. But also, the wording is definitely deliberate - the post is published by a company that's developed an iPhone app to combat this "addiction". So there's definitely some marketing angle involved here.
nunez 3y ago
YouTube videos. Streaming. Scrolling Instagram/tiktok. Tons of messaging. Games. Reddit, to a lesser extent. Those are the usual suspects.

holoduke 3y ago

We will be walking arround with ar glasses containing so much info that you would literally not able to survive without turning them on 24 hours a day. My doom scenario

mondomondo 3y ago

I’m definitely less addicted to my phone than I was before all the obvious Russian botting happened on every social media forum in 2016.

louthy 3y ago

It’s not just what the phones give us (in terms of connectivity), it seems we’re addicted to the light itself (same with TV before). Presumably, this is some primal sitting-round-the-fire type impulse.

wilsonnb3 3y ago
I don’t think smartphones would be meaningfully less addictive if they used old school, non backlit display technology.

karaterobot 3y ago

I suppose that selling the solution is what makes the author so optimistic about the problem.

pizzafeelsright 3y ago

Luddites and neoludites and similar Amish type will expand their foothold into different cultures. I personally am going to be adjusting my usage as it is impacting my life and negative ways. I've already added timers and limits and will soon be going to grayscale only. What I do hope for which does not yet exist is the ability to use voice GPT at selective moments with a finger tap of an ear bud. I have noticed a growing divide between those who have phones in their hands and those who have phones by proximity. I have some friends who take a day or two to text me back because I simply don't use their phone.

bobbylarrybobby 3y ago
Sounds like you may want https://hu.ma.ne/ https://hu.ma.ne/
- tavavex 3y ago
  $700 + $24/month subscription? Wow, that functionality better be really good.
- pizzafeelsright 3y ago
  Somewhat related but I consider it a poor design on many levels.
tavavex 3y ago
I'm curious - why would an earbud-activated LLM be preferable to just the normal interface with typing in the request? And why GPT specifically? I can see the point with technologies that integrate directly into the surrounding environment, like using Google Lens to look up information about a real object, or translate printed text, and so on. But the LLM will still be a text generator either way - is it just about being able to dictate a request out loud and have the reply be read back?
- pizzafeelsright 3y ago
  Generic term GPT for LLM I suppose. As for the type of interface, having a screen requires eyeball attention that I rather have on the task at hand. This would remove the "device in hand" that a commpad/smartphone/tablet requires. Me @ Kitchen: tap earbud & speak "read my favorite apple pie recipe list of ingredients" as I inventory the pantry.

m3kw9 3y ago

AR replaces phones easily, but technically AR is just an evolution from phones. Instead of holding the phone the the face, it’s held there for you + AR

newsclues 3y ago

I think we are going to see a time when social media progresses through the same celebrated to acceptance to tolerance that cigarette smoking has gone through. Social media is no longer cool.

nunez 3y ago

> Americans spend more than 4 hours a day on their phones, and more than half say they are addicted to their cell phone. More like seven hours per day: https://www.bankmycell.com/blog/average-screen-time-on-iphone-android#section-2 https://www.bankmycell.com/blog/average-screen-time-on-iphon... As long as phone screens continue to be perfect for handheld entertainment and phone apps continue to be designed for infinite thoughtless consumption, then the answer will remain "yes". I 1000% blame social media companies for intentionally designing their apps and the content presented on them to drive engagement and taking advantage of psychology that makes people want to scroll while they are driving, for example.

yetanother12345 3y ago
> I 1000% blame social media companies for intentionally designing their apps I'm not a smartphone user, so I ask out of curiosity: Do people really have no agency anymore? No self-discipline? I've read this statement that it's "the machine's fault" in numerous versions but I'm puzzled by it. If you don't like the screen, why don't you just turn it off, or toss it in the bin?
- hydrok9 3y ago
  why don't you just throw the cigarette on the ground? why don't you just stop drinking?

MrGinkgo 3y ago

I feel the trouble with comparing social media to cigarettes is that cigarettes are kind of their own self-contained "thing". For instance, while you can smoke a cigarette on your own and focus your entire attention towards it, it's kind of technically impossible to use social media alone, even if there's no one else in the room with you. The "content" isn't pre-packaged and finite, it's constant and living, fueled by other people. That's the big trouble with leaving social media for a lot of people. It's a kind of prisoner's dillemma where the only meaningful way to stop it is to organize with your friends to quit it/explore alternatives as well. More than just insecure feelings of FOMO, the trouble with quitting social media is that you become really out of the loop with your friends' activities, since its benefit has always been being able to efficiently update your friends. It seems like unless you have some way of staying in contact with them, you may as well be invisible. I do love the analogy of a donut which becomes heavier as you reach closer to overconsumption, though. A while back I got tired of all the noise on youtube and installed an extension called "unhook tube" which makes all the recommended videos in the sidebar just disappear. I wonder if there'd be a way to impliment an extension for instagram/facebook and the other 'scrollers', where the longer you use it, the more difficult it becomes to scroll, and the longer it takes for posts to load. It'd be like the benefit of having a fickle water heater, in that it keeps you from staying in the shower too long once the water gets too cold. In terms of facilitating moderation, this seems like the easiest solution.

tocs3 3y ago
The more casually social media is used the more packaged it is. That is why you use a tool to mute the youtube content. I think youtube is amazing. There are incredible gems entertaining, practical, etc. The trouble is you have to wade through lots less amazing content to get to the gems. The trouble is real life is just as packaged by corporations. Entertainment is Disney/Hollywood. Practical things Homedepot (I have a very dim view of homedepot). Sports, buy fancy shiny equipment and join expensive gyms. Pro sports, gamble (online). Real life is often just as empty. Why abandon your phone? Tech companies have hit on a real moneymaker. Provide cheap entertainment without the brick and mortar. I am lucky that I have mostly made a living doing things in the real world and in "virtual spaces". I have the resources to do the things I enjoy without much commercial involvement. It is getting harder to do this in real life. When I need some bolts to build something Homedepot (I have a very dim view of homedepot) prices are insane. The nearest good fastener store is over and hour away. Online sources are amazing but now I have to wade through online empty calories to deal with real life shit. More options in every area would be helpful but we cannot expect corporations or government to help. They make money making real life difficult and selling us online content when we are to tired to do anything else. I despair sometimes but the real world is incredible and ... well whatever. Maybe one day ...

tocs3 3y ago

So, I know I am a little late to the party here but I think party of the problem is not the smartphone screens. As a society we are doing dismal job of making reality an interesting place to live. As an example education (at least for me, I'm 54yo) we are told to study something interesting, follow dreams, get good at something academic. Then access to every tool and resource taken away and we are told to go make a living. No fancy tools or studios, the time and environment to do something interesting is taken away. It is replaced with drudgery and cheap entertainment. Think Disney, Hollywood movies, pro sports/gambling, other prepackaged activities, and cellphones. Government, large/medium corporations, startups have zero incentive to help. Enough people get through the education system to fill what jobs are needed and the rest can [modern equivalent to flipping burgers] and look at their phones. Excuse my writing. The education system did not work out for me and my family works with our hands. I enjoy working with my hands. I am one of the lucky ones. I tried mainstream and it is miserable. I am glad for the tech industry and the internet and the like. We need to do better for those that are not working for management in what is essentially the company town. It will be a better more enjoyable world if we can. Makespaces? More funding and expanded mandates for public libraries. Extending what education means and how long people can be involved. I don't know what.

tocs3 3y ago

I have commented below and I would say more but I have to go pay my credit card bill. Real life sucks.