Anyone watching 60 Minutes about the ex-Google employee who is concerned

[Akamai]

about the addictive aspect of modern technology?

This has been an article in the NY Times this week. Very interesting and important issue.

The employee said that never before has a small handful of companies controlled the viewing habits of a billion or more users. It's like a slot machine, he said. And as a psychologist, I agree with his apology.

Scary stuff! And it should be known to all.

One of the interviewees, Brown, said that he is creating addictive presentations of data.

Thom Hartmann has been worried about this out loud for the last month or so, noting that on a recent flight he was on, no one was talking -- they were looking at their phones and not talking to others. So we have problems interacting with others these days.

Important topic to focus on.

[LisaM]

1. I know people who bristle at the idea of talking on planes.

I used to enjoy chatting with people for at least part of the flight but now I feel guilty even saying hello. And a lot of my friends just can't stand the thought. It bothers me. I'm not talking about overnight flights or anything, just during normal hours.

[Akamai]

2. Great point. But I am insufferably talkative and I will try several times to talk.

If there's no response to my attempts, then I shut the heck up. But otherwise, I try to engage in least several give-and-takes.

But if many, many other people are now adopting these electronic devices and their programmed methods of addicting people to these screens, then the addiction might be important.

Sure seems to me similar to a Star Trek episode with the crew being addicted to a game that took over their minds until Wesley figured out what was going on.

This is an important issue for those facing these screens.

It was also said on the show that Apple refused to allow an App that led to reducing phone usage. This is totally bullshit -- because clearly Apple is not allowing people to choose.

[LisaM]

13. Oh, I enjoy small talk.

It bothers me that I have to feel guilty about it.

[EllieBC]

23. I love small talk.

I chat while waiting in lines, on planes, you name it. We've become social avoiders and then we wonder what's wrong with the world.

We don't talk to the people right next to us, that's what's wrong. We build fantastic relationships online with people we will never see and ignore the humans right around us.

[Orrex]

29. I once took a cross-country bus ride in the early 90s

I sat next to a talker for about 44 hours straight. After about 25 minutes I was ready to decapitate myself and throw my head out the window.

[LittleBlue]

3. Ghost in the Shell was prophecy, not fiction

The anime, not the Scarjo version. We will eventually leave our bodies to almost entirely exist within a digital world. Only the bare minimum organic material necessary to retain our consciousnesses will remain.

[okieinpain]

4. i prefer not to talk to other people n/t.

[Hamlette]

5. it is worse than you all think

I do not own a cell phone. I owned one many years ago for a short time and found them annoying.

I might notice more than you about cell phone usage. I don't care that you are often rude or don't talk on the plane, I just feel sad that you are missing so much. You never people watch, engage, talk to others, or just observe your surroundings. All of which is more interesting than whatever you're doing on your cell phone in public.

[Akamai]

7. I agree -- When I unplug for a day or so, I do not miss it. I tell people that I often

don't check my iPhone, rarely check my email, etc.

I, like so many others, am so likely to go down rabbit holes, one after the other -- easily distracted. Turning off the new media for long periods of time is a good way to grow, I think.

[trixie2]

18. I'm with you

I am a librarian so I believe in technology and yet have drawn a line in the sand for myself. I refuse to have a phone with data. Why would I want email on my phone? It's bad enough I have to check it once a day on my laptop or tablet. I don't play games on phone I just use it for [wait for it] A PHONE. I do like to text instead of call. I can text my sister I am on my way instead of calling her and having to wait for pickup. I know that just sounded stupid but I don't mind texting. We text each other good night, how's it going or quick stuff like that. I never text in the car, in fact my phone is off in the car. I like my music loud. I might spend an hour each evening winding down and checking email, here and my favorite tv discussion board - previouslytv. Phones are not allowed at dinner or even at the table anytime.

I really don't know anyone who is all consumed with phones, or online constantly.

[Yavin4]

6. I didn't see it. I was texting.

What's this all about? Can you just text it to me? Thx.

[Akamai]

8. I did text it to you, but your imogi said I should drown myself.

[Leghorn21]

12. Ha haaaa! Smartypants!! eom

[napi21]

9. I do think of it as an addiction. I have a sell phone, but prefer my land line. I take it when

I go somewhere for emergency use or if I need directions or something, but it goes unused most of the time. It amazes me how many people I see walking talking, driving & talking, and even in restaurants they can't just enjoy a meal without that damn phone!

Teens see to be more addicted than others. As I understand, the worst punishment you can inflict on a teen is to take away the cell for a day!

They're convenient for sure, but it would be good if we all just shut them off for a day every so often, for our own mental health!

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

30. I only have a flip phone cell

I have it for work purposes and use it sparingly for personal calls. My husband and oldest son also have flip phones. They rarely use them. My son basically uses his cell to call when he needs to get picked up some place. He's a freshman in high school, so he's not old enough to drive yet. I want him to have it for when he does drive for emergency purposes too. I think the old flip phones are good for kids for a few reasons. They are cheap (like $15) so if the kids loses it, it's not that big of a deal. The flip phones are pretty much just for calls and short text messages. They suck for anything online. Even texting is hard on them. The smart phones are what get the kids (and adults) addicted because they are pretty much a pocket computer. This means they can be on social media wherever they are. I think that's not a good thing. People need breaks from social media.

[Maraya1969]

10. I have a problem with this. It bugs me because I don't do the things I used to do because I am

stuck on this electronic thing. At least I don't do too much with the phone because I can't see it very well.

I've been told I should just shut it all down for a day. Maybe I'll do that.

[PoiBoy]

11. Thanks for the heads up...

The other night my wife and I had dinner at a popular local restaurant... as we were leaving we passed a family seated for dinner... 12 people total seated at two tables pushed together... it was a family dinner, yet 8 adults and 2 older kids all had their heads buried in phones or tablets...

I was really struck at the sadness of that sight... the table was totally quiet..

60 Minutes starting in a couple of minutes... I'll be watching...

[moondust]

14. Gadget Zombies

My concern is that some people may be spending so much time narrowly focused on their gadget that they are losing their peripheral vision and awareness of what is going on around them--sort of in a daze all the time.

[pamela]

15. I saw a picture the other day that just stunned me.

Last edited Mon Apr 10, 2017, 02:11 AM - Edit history (1)

I've been reading a lot of trail journals and blogs of thru-hikers on the AT, PCT and CDT. The other day there was a picture on a blog where a group of hikers had just summited the highest peak on the trail at sunrise. There were ten or more hikers in the most gorgeous surroundings and every single one of them was looking down at their phones. To be fair, they had all been on the trail for a long time and it was possibly the first signal they had picked up in a while, but still...what a strange photo that was.

[dalton99a]

22. I've been to museums where people spend more time taking photographs of paintings than

looking at them

[NRaleighLiberal]

16. yup. recently my wife and I at lunch watch couples ignore each other and stare at their phones

all through lunch. Sad.

My wife has held me captive for 38 years. Her eyes are where its all at....not an inanimate object!

[littlemissmartypants]

17. Here's a documentary on internet addiction from a few yrs ago.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x27xeyc_web-junkies-china-s-addicted-teens-1-2_news

♡lmsp

[Ilsa]

28. The 60 Minutes report wasn't about internet addiction, but more

about how are brains are being condition to want a "reward " for being replied to, or getting Likes or Shared on facebook, etc. Apps and games are designed with our neurology in mind to get ads seen more. Not checking for updates, new email, etc creates stress that raises cortisol levels.

A programmer left Google over the lack of ethics in considering how this might be affecting us. Another programmer said Apple refused to add his app to the store because it was a "zen" type app to help overcome tech-stress, and it would cause users to look at their phones less.

[littlemissmartypants]

19. There is another documentary, Screenagers

The film follows Delaney Ruston, a mom of two teenagers who is also a practicing medical doctor in Seattle, WA. One more thing… she’s the director of the film (busy lady!). She invites the viewer on her personal journey to navigate the delicate and often fragile balance between boundaries over screen usage and gradually granting freedoms to the digital natives we’re raising. As smart and engaged as Delaney is as a mom, her struggle to strike the right balance is definitely evident. She is still figuring this stuff out herself, which makes her relatable as a “character” in the film’s narrative.

http://parentswhofight.com/takeaways-film-screenagers/

[trixie2]

20. I feel better knowing

This trend will eventually calm down and technology will find a proper place in our homes and families.

This article talks about all the hullaballoo when radios were put in cars. The comments are pretty good too.

[dalton99a]

21. Life is best enjoyed when you record everything with your cellphone and upload it so Google can

monetize it

[killbotfactory]

24. People do things that are stimulating

And now we have devices that can fit in our pockets, which can access almost all of human knowledge, and nearly anyone on earth.

And we still can't stop killing each other.

I don't think the problem is people looking at their phones.

[Lokilooney]

25. Sub sole nihil novi est

I think I heard the same thing one time about this regarding those new fangled TV sets.

I also heard that Christmas has very recently become commercialized!

yeah, I'm feeling snarky tonight, enjoying a martini as well, and some IPA...

[butdiduvote]

26. I hate it when people want to talk to me on trains/planes

I have very bad social anxiety, and the aspect of not being able to get away for numerous hours is enough to make me have a panic attack. I literally dream of being a good conversationalist, but I'm just not and being forced into conversations with strangers is super stressful to me. I also usually have something planned to get done during the trip whether it be to get some work done on my laptop or to read a book I've been waiting for the opportunity to read.

[Akamai]

35. I met my far better half in Toastmasters speaking club in 1975.

I'm still a member of Toastmasters. This is a club that focuses on having people present speeches, answer questions in an impromptu fashion, etc. Really terrific for getting over social anxiety of speaking.

I too really like long plane rides where I can just open a book and read for hours at a time. And whenever I get on a plane, I have to make sure I have reading material, may be a puzzle or two to figure out.

[Jonny Appleseed]

27. My parents are addicted to social media, their cellphones in particular

I've been addicted to a lot of stuff and I can identify the telltale signs immediately. When I try to interrupt them, or even engage them in a conversation about it I get a range of responses from being snapped at to being scoffed at and derived. "Everyone's doing it", they say. They display the full gambit of deflections and excuses that seem almost ripped from the pages of a book on alcoholics. Can't even watch tv as a family anymore because they look down at their phone at every lull.

I think people their age are particularly susceptible. My generation grew up learning the ins and outs of the burgeoning "Interweb". Before streaming sites we'd need to go to sketchy pirate streams and watch 240p camrips of American Pie while masterfully avoiding all the bright glowing "PLAY" buttons to find the tiny one that actually activates the player. We learned that the duck shooting game in the sidebar is fun to play if you only shoot 2 ducks, but don't shoot the third or you'll get 30 popups and a download. But now it's so streamlined that they have no immunity to anything outside their preferred zones. The days of "surfing the web" are over.

I got off topic. Anyways, it's addiction (resulting from improved accessibility and eye-pleasing UI) combined with naivety/lack of immunity that has led older folks astray. I'll tell you this, if John Podesta grew up with the same internet I did he'd never fall for a fucking phishing attempt.

[Squinch]

31. My work takes me to a number of schools. It's spring break. Last week I asked the kids

(5-12 year olds) what they would be doing for the week. All of them said playing gadget games.

No one even WANTED to go to the park, play ball, read, have play dates.

I tried to model something else and said I was going to spend time outside, play some ball, see my friends, read a book, do a craft project. They all thought it sounded boring.

I could have cried thinking about what they are missing.

[LisaM]

36. My niece (12) went on a four day sailing/camping class last summer. No social media.

Last edited Mon Apr 10, 2017, 01:37 PM - Edit history (1)

The counselors took the phones (for emergencies) and had a set time each day they would check to see if the parents had called with any emergencies.

When my niece came back, she seemed tanned, relaxed, and energized, and even older than when she'd left a few days earlier.

Her mom and I were wondering what would be the first thing she'd want when she came back, remembering our own camping trips as kids. I thought it would be a cold Coke. She thought it would be a shower. Wrong on both counts! She needed to get back on her phone.

It was really too bad, because it seemed that the four days of sailing and being self-sufficient for four days had really made a difference (I don't want to say 'improved' because she's a good kid). It would have been nice it there's been more after effects.

[Foamfollower]

32. Not to mention all these young whippersnappers addicted to their Auto Mobiles

All these people concentrating on their driving addiction. Why, in my day the horse knew the way and we could have conversations!

Fuck this noise. EMBRACE the technology!

[Johonny]

33. I never played my Atari until my hands were blistered...

wait people just figured this out. LOL.

[crazycatlady]

34. I don't talk to anyone on a plane

I'm 'plugged in' usually with a movie or book I've downloaded for the flight.

Then again my travel is usually work related and I don't travel with people.

ETA the last time I talked to someone on public transportation (a train) was en route to the NYC women's march, when 75% of the train was headed there.

[LisaM]

37. I almost always travel alone, and enjoy a little bit of conversation.

It's pretty clear when someone doesn't want to talk at all, especially if they're forearmed with all kinds of equipment that sends those signals. And of course, I respect that. But a lot of times people have interesting things to say and I want to hear them.

A huge peeve is when someone wires themselves up and then hogs the aisle seat so that they have to ostentatiously disengage if I need to get out of my seat (which I always do; I'm not going to sit there for five hours without getting up once, it's much more healthful to move around a bit).