The staccato rhythm that social media feeds you - and I include Spotify in that the algorithm employed there - keeps you dancing on a string, victims of their venomous fate.
Even when I want to listen to serious YouTube video, it’s chopped up. Ads come in mid sentence / midstream of a topic and break the flow.
Commercial television wasn’t as bad because the delivery of the story was tailored to that rhythm. AM radio you know the pace so it’s not as a bad. Prior to the incessant ads online you could listen for an hour, uninterrupted. I recall in early 00s being thrilled because I could get free form discussion, in depth, and not have the intrusion.
The scroll has destroyed us - it’s wrecked our concentration. I was blogging early on, stopped once work overtook things and started up again after spending time on social media to restore my concentration.
100%. It is a war on our attention. The beauty is that the solution is completely within our control. Technology, like war, is revealing much that is terrible and great about the human condition.
Excellent piece of work, Sam. I like the Odysseus reference in the end. Rope is worthless. The phone is now tied to our means of communication and interaction. Lashing ourselves to a mast and keeping ourselves from its siren's song does nothing to strengthen us. It's only an admission of our weakness. You hit it on the head. What is our intent when we reach for that device? And does it reinforce the role of master or slave? Who's driving, me. . . or it? Love it, bro. Keep 'em coming.
Masters aren't always beings. Sometimes they are addictions, patterns of behavior, or simply just overpowering emotions. In this case, the phone (or need to be immersed in the world it provides) could be all three. No offense, brother, but I think you missed the point.
I've struggled with this. I thought about getting a flip phone, but I do like browsing Substack and doing Zoom calls on the fly, listening to podcasts. I compromised by removing all email accounts and social media from my phone. I think your middle position between maximum tech and luddite is the right one- it forces us to discipline ourselves. Great piece.
I leaned heavily into the idea of a flip phone as well. At some point I will make the move but like you, I have other things that require me to be more engaged. I have my phone on gray-scale and also removed all apps except the essentials for the time being, and I leave it behind when I hike, train, etcetera, to get away from it for awhile.
The staccato rhythm that social media feeds you - and I include Spotify in that the algorithm employed there - keeps you dancing on a string, victims of their venomous fate.
Even when I want to listen to serious YouTube video, it’s chopped up. Ads come in mid sentence / midstream of a topic and break the flow.
Commercial television wasn’t as bad because the delivery of the story was tailored to that rhythm. AM radio you know the pace so it’s not as a bad. Prior to the incessant ads online you could listen for an hour, uninterrupted. I recall in early 00s being thrilled because I could get free form discussion, in depth, and not have the intrusion.
The scroll has destroyed us - it’s wrecked our concentration. I was blogging early on, stopped once work overtook things and started up again after spending time on social media to restore my concentration.
100%. It is a war on our attention. The beauty is that the solution is completely within our control. Technology, like war, is revealing much that is terrible and great about the human condition.
if we reach
for our phones
as neither master
nor slave
the hand will throw
this vile thing
into
it’s watery
grave
Excellent piece of work, Sam. I like the Odysseus reference in the end. Rope is worthless. The phone is now tied to our means of communication and interaction. Lashing ourselves to a mast and keeping ourselves from its siren's song does nothing to strengthen us. It's only an admission of our weakness. You hit it on the head. What is our intent when we reach for that device? And does it reinforce the role of master or slave? Who's driving, me. . . or it? Love it, bro. Keep 'em coming.
Nailed it brother
Ideally neither. They aren’t beings. They’re tools.
Masters aren't always beings. Sometimes they are addictions, patterns of behavior, or simply just overpowering emotions. In this case, the phone (or need to be immersed in the world it provides) could be all three. No offense, brother, but I think you missed the point.
Agreed. My intent was not to insinuate we are either masters or slaves over our phones, but over ourselves.
Oh! I forgot-there’s this thing in settings on the iPhone called assistive access- worth a try.
I've struggled with this. I thought about getting a flip phone, but I do like browsing Substack and doing Zoom calls on the fly, listening to podcasts. I compromised by removing all email accounts and social media from my phone. I think your middle position between maximum tech and luddite is the right one- it forces us to discipline ourselves. Great piece.
I leaned heavily into the idea of a flip phone as well. At some point I will make the move but like you, I have other things that require me to be more engaged. I have my phone on gray-scale and also removed all apps except the essentials for the time being, and I leave it behind when I hike, train, etcetera, to get away from it for awhile.