Hide and seek was one of my favorite games when I was a kid. True confessions, I’d also pretend that I was invisible and stealthily walk around like I could not be seen. LOL, I’ll leave it to my psychologist friends to figure out what this desire to be invisible was about. It’s incredible today how visible a person can be as they create profiles, interact, and develop their online presence. Don’t get me wrong - I love technology and social media. I help clients adopt technology to improve their work practices and decision making. A few years ago, though, I took a class called Technology and the Psyche which permitted space and resources to consider relative to the long term effects of technology on humans. As I started the course reading, I realized I was jittery, had trouble maintaining attention, was constantly checking my phone, etc. A long term reader, this inability to sit still and focus was unnerving. So I turned my phone and computer off because I realized that my persistent use of technology was affecting my ability to concentrate.
How to Disappear by Akiko Busch is instructional in the way Busch suggests that sometimes hiding is just what we need. While technology is not her primary focus, I found myself thinking about how life has become a largely technology mediated existence - my truck, desk, purse all hold computers capable of telling me what to do, where to go and how to get there. I’m using Busch’s discussion of disappearance to consider the importance of managing technology use as important to wellness. I spent the past few years exploring this topic and share what I know thus far.
Social media and internet design moved beyond an obvious physical design readily observed and somewhat contained as an ‘object’ towards psychological control and manipulation at a collective consciousness level through use or abuse of sense of time, variable rewards, and psychological manipulation. The Center for Humane Technology (n.d.) asserted that our society is being hijacked by technology: “What began as a race to monetize our attention is now eroding the pillars of our society: mental health, democracy, social relationships, and our children.” Herbert Simon in 1969 branded the term - attention economy: “A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume it.” (as cited in The Economist, 2009)
Nir Eyal deliberately teaches companies how to exploit people’s attention, touting in his blog (2012): Variable Rewards: Want to hook users? Drive them crazy. A number of former tech designers now express grave concerns:
Loren Brichter (creator pull-to-refresh mechanism used to update feed): He affirmed a slot machine comparison of his design stating: “[pull to refresh mechanism] could easily retire. . . instead it appears to serve a psychological function” (as cited in Lewis, 2017).
Tristan Harris former Google employee): He was described as “the closest thing Silicon Valley has to a conscience” (Lewis, 2017). Harris (as cited in Lewis, 2017) “I don’t know a more urgent problem than this. . . . It’s changing our democracy, and it’s changing our ability to have the conversations and relationships that we want with each other.” Presentation to Google on Digital Wellbeing
Chris Marcellino (one of two inventors listed on patent for managing notification connections and displaying icon badge): “Technologies can affect the same neurological pathways as gambling and drug use. . . . all of it is reward-based behavior that activates the brain’s dopamine pathways” (as cited in Lewis, 2017).
Sean Parker (Napster, early Facebook investor and first president): Parker called himself: Something of a conscientious objector. . . . “I don't know if I really understood the consequences of what I was saying, because [of] the unintended consequences of a network when it grows to a billion or 2 billion people and . . . it literally changes your relationship with society, with each other. . . . It probably interferes with productivity in weird ways,” Parker said. “God only knows what it's doing to our children's brains. (Newton, 2017)
Justin Rosenstein (creator of Facebook like button): “There is a growing concern that as well as addicting users, technology is contributing toward so-called “continuous partial attention”, severely limiting people’s ability to focus, and possibly lowering IQ” (as cited in Lewis, 2017).
James Williams (former Google strategist built the metrics systems for global search advertisting business): He does not believe talk of dystopia is far-fetched, then described the industry as “the “largest, most standardised and most centralised form of attentional control in human history” (as cited in Lewis, 2017). James Williams in talking about the Internet indicated: “It's become an all-encompassing, persuasive environment,” one that ultimately contributed (contributes) to humans giving up goals, subsuming to fake news and persistent outrage. . . contributing to a kind of “supercharged narcissism.” (as cited in Ghosh, 2018). He wrote: Stand Out of Our Light, available free PDF
Internet designers took on a puppet master role driven by a vision for manipulative persuasive omniscience where people perceive they have knowledge access but are in fact limited in what they know. The intentionality of design towards garnering our attention is something that we need to be aware of and manage.
Our collective task is about creating those safe spaces to educate, discuss, and imagine ways forward including such emphases as technology detox, information literacy, restoration and healing. On a personal level, things we can do to improve our wellness include:
Turn off computer notifications. This way you no longer are distracted by the sound or visible appearance of notifications.
Mute our phones. Turn the sound off - yes, some will find this annoying and they will get over it. I check my phone 4 times a day to see if I have texts or phone messages and then respond. Otherwise, it’s on the desk or counter face down.
Set boundaries (e.g., only so much time per day for technology use). My strategy is to balance screen time with reading a hardcopy book. I don’t use technology to read books because I don’t want to read on a screen.
Take frequent breaks. Most of my work is virtual and on a computer but I can control my day so that I’m taking breaks to go outside, breathe some fresh air, and not be looking at a screen.
Become familiar with the challenges related to ubiquitous technology use and encourage humane practices within our sphere of influence to balance use with non-use.
Explore other tips at the Center for Humane Technology website.
References
Busch, A. (2019). How to disappear: Notes on invisibility in a time of transparency. Penguin Press. Amazon.com
Center for Human Technology (n.d.). Retrieved from http://humanetech.com/
Eyal, N. (2012). Variable rewards: Want to hook users? Drive them crazy. Retrieved from https://www.nirandfar.com/2012/03/want-to-hook-your-users-drive-them-crazy.html
Ghosh, S. (2018). A former Google strategist says tech is warping our attention spans – and it’s terrible for humanity. Business Insider. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/google-philosopher-james-williams-tech-distraction-bad-humanity-2018-5
Lewis, P. (2017). Our minds can be hijacked’: the tech insiders who fear a smartphone dystopia. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/oct/05/smartphone-addiction-silicon-valley-dystopia
National Day of Unplugging (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nationaldayofunplugging.com/
Newton, C. (2017). In 2017, key Facebook builders disowned their creation. Retrieved from https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/20/16800842/facebook-2017-russia-scandal-news-feed-criticism-defectors
Ong, T. (2017). Sean Parker on Facebook: ‘God only knows what it’s doing to our children’s brains’ Retrieved from https://www.theverge.com/2017/11/9/16627724/sean-parker-facebook-childrens-brains-feedback-loop
The Economist. (2009). Herman Simon. The Economist. Retrieved from https://www.economist.com/news/2009/03/20/herbert-simon