3 ms·
Hanging out in between jobs with a coworker, in between topics of conversation, he pulled out his phone to scroll. And so I asked if he remembered anything he'd
by xethos 3y ago
Hanging out in between jobs with a coworker, in between topics of conversation, he pulled out his phone to scroll. And so I asked if he remembered anything he'd scrolled past yesterday... and he could not. Nor could he remember anything he'd scrolled past more than 15 minutes ago, after we set the bar lower.
Notably, this wasn't TikTok or Instagram, but Facebook posts. Messages, postings, photos from friends (with a profitable amount of advertising). And I call that out because I'm confident TikTok and other social media is worse. It's mechanical; flick, forget, scan, repeat.
I don't think he's unique in this either. If you ask your friend or kid what they scrolled past yesterday, I don't think you'd get a real answer. So maybe you're a cut above, and you use your smartphone differently. But I don't think they're as interactive as you think they are.
- bradlys 3y agoI couldn’t tell you the articles I read on HN yesterday either. I do however remember them when something relevant comes up in daily conversation. For instance, today I was scrolling on TikTok and learned how to properly hold a bunny. It’ll stick with me. Will I be able to tell you that I learned how to hold a bunny tomorrow? Probably not. The retention will remain though. Same way I couldn’t tell you what I had for breakfast yesterday. Maybe a muffin? Idfk.
- tasuki 3y agoThat's social media you're talking about. Not smartphones. Smartphones can be a vehicle for social media. As can laptops. But they don't have to be.