Okay, so you didn’t drop everything and read the “Put Down Your Phone”
essay by Andrew Sullivan that I posted last month. Don’t worry. Here’s another,
this one in that swishy new Economist lifestyle magazine that continues to find
its way to my door at home.
This report, by Ian Leslie, is called “The Scientists Who Make Apps
Addictive.” http://bit.ly/2dusGxV. Redeem yourself and stop everything
to read THIS article. These Internet addiction pieces do seem to be piling up,
like leaves falling year-round in our so-confused climate.
Some beauts. For those who insist on keeping their phone in their hands, rather
than convince themselves they have time on the hands.
- When motivation is
high enough, or a task easy enough, people become responsive to triggers
such as the vibration of a phone, Facebook’s red dot, the email from the
fashion store featuring a time-limited offer on jumpsuits.
- Respondents spent all
their hours thinking about how to organize their lives in order to take
pictures they could post to each persona, which meant they weren’t able to
enjoy whatever they were doing, which made them stressed and unhappy.
- No matter how useful
the products, the system itself is tilted in favor of its designers. The
house always wins.
And finally:
- In theory, we can all
opt out of the loops of incentive and reward which encircle us, but few of
us choose to. It is just so much easier to accept and connect. If we are
captives of captology, then we are willing ones.
Next: Running for Your Life:
Deep State S--t
