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Smartphones manipulate our emotions and trigger our reflexes

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Re: Smartphones manipulate our emotions and trigger our reflexes

#11

Post by lijok »

Notice under “Managing dependency”, the focus is exclusively on technological solutions.

There is no technological solution to this. We have the equivalent of unlimited crack in everyone’s pocket 24/7 with no possible oversight over its use and no way to reel it back in. The genie has been out of the bottle for a while now.

Just like gluttony, there is no solution, only management strategies and they’re all very human.

Sensible education about these things starting at K1. Social and outreach programs for addicts. Etc

Re: Smartphones manipulate our emotions and trigger our reflexes

#12

Post by ericmcer »

quacked wrote: post #5

Bo Burnham put it succinctly, although he was talking about children on apps: "When they go to sleep at night, they have to choose between all of the information ever published in the history of the world, or the back of their eyelids." The smartphone is a perverted implementation of the goal that people use to fantasize about back in the early days of the computer revolution: a personal terminal to the world of audi…

It isn't even a perverted implementation, we just overestimated ourselves.

All our sci-fi futurism of the 70s/80s showed enlightened humans elevating themselves with technology. In real Star Trek the holo deck would be used for porn, the computer would be used to play shitty podcasts while they procrastinated work and the replicator would be churning out donuts and fried foods.

It's philosophically a weird time, because we are more socially progressive than ever before, but we have a nonstop flow of evidence that people cannot self-govern. It feels paradoxical to demand freedom and protection from your own impulses at the same time.

Re: Smartphones manipulate our emotions and trigger our reflexes

#13

Post by teekert »

quacked wrote: post #5

Bo Burnham put it succinctly, although he was talking about children on apps: "When they go to sleep at night, they have to choose between all of the information ever published in the history of the world, or the back of their eyelids." The smartphone is a perverted implementation of the goal that people use to fantasize about back in the early days of the computer revolution: a personal terminal to the world of audi…

With a smartphone you do not only give the internet to a kid, you are also giving the kid to the internet.

Re: Smartphones manipulate our emotions and trigger our reflexes

#15

Post by andy99 »

tayo42 wrote: post #10
samrus wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the access to so much information itself isnt bad. Cuz access to all of wikipedia wouldnt do this. People would get bored because its still work to digest that information I think this access gave opportunities to bad actors whose incentives are misalligned with society's. Social media companies. They use this opportunity to serve us easily digestible garbage thats going to get us hooked. Its a not some grand…

Idk I've gotten high and just wasted whole nights going down Wikipedia rabbit holes. I think eventually turned to stronger time wasters though. The Wikipedia thing is real though.

We didn’t have internet when I was an early teen and I would read physical encyclopedias before bed.

If academic study is on one end of a spectrum, lots of Wikipedia is maybe in the middle, pretty accessible and simple enough to keep clicking through links for someone interested, but still at least requiring active participation.

Something like TikTok (which admittedly I’ve never used) along with AI conversations which I have, can basically take place without the brain ever even engaging other than the reward pathways.

If academic books or literature are fruits and vegetables, Wikipedia is maybe a restaurant meal and social media (+ AI chat) dominos pizza or Pringle’s or some other thing that’s been processed into oblivion and just diffuses though your stomach lining directly onto your blood as you mindless binge on it.

Re: Smartphones manipulate our emotions and trigger our reflexes

#16

Post by noduerme »

ericmcer wrote: post #12
quacked wrote: post #5

Bo Burnham put it succinctly, although he was talking about children on apps: "When they go to sleep at night, they have to choose between all of the information ever published in the history of the world, or the back of their eyelids." The smartphone is a perverted implementation of the goal that people use to fantasize about back in the early days of the computer revolution: a personal terminal to the world of audi…

It isn't even a perverted implementation, we just overestimated ourselves. All our sci-fi futurism of the 70s/80s showed enlightened humans elevating themselves with technology. In real Star Trek the holo deck would be used for porn, the computer would be used to play shitty podcasts while they procrastinated work and the replicator would be churning out donuts and fried foods. It's philosophically a weird time, beca…

I don't know that anyone's really asking for protection from their own impulses. Freedom requires protection from other people's impulses. That's where this is all going. A few truly free people, everyone else in a cage.

Re: Smartphones manipulate our emotions and trigger our reflexes

#18

Post by hooverd »

tayo42 wrote: post #10
samrus wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the access to so much information itself isnt bad. Cuz access to all of wikipedia wouldnt do this. People would get bored because its still work to digest that information I think this access gave opportunities to bad actors whose incentives are misalligned with society's. Social media companies. They use this opportunity to serve us easily digestible garbage thats going to get us hooked. Its a not some grand…

Idk I've gotten high and just wasted whole nights going down Wikipedia rabbit holes. I think eventually turned to stronger time wasters though. The Wikipedia thing is real though.

That's infinitely preferable to scrolling your short form video platform of choice. At least you get some fun facts to use in conversation out of it.

Re: Smartphones manipulate our emotions and trigger our reflexes

#19

Post by hooverd »

2OEH8eoCRo0 wrote: post #8
samrus wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the access to so much information itself isnt bad. Cuz access to all of wikipedia wouldnt do this. People would get bored because its still work to digest that information I think this access gave opportunities to bad actors whose incentives are misalligned with society's. Social media companies. They use this opportunity to serve us easily digestible garbage thats going to get us hooked. Its a not some grand…

I agree but it's too entwined with "freedom of speech" and section 230. Many here make too much money addicting children and don't want to turn off the fire hose of money.

That just makes it So the big boys who are making all this money can continue to operate while small platforms can no longer afford to comply with the new regulatory environment.

Re: Smartphones manipulate our emotions and trigger our reflexes

#20

Post by 2OEH8eoCRo0 »

hooverd wrote: post #19
2OEH8eoCRo0 wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree but it's too entwined with "freedom of speech" and section 230. Many here make too much money addicting children and don't want to turn off the fire hose of money.

That just makes it So the big boys who are making all this money can continue to operate while small platforms can no longer afford to comply with the new regulatory environment.

I don't buy it. The internet existed before the carve out and was in fact less centralized and less shitty
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