I am an optimist. I am positive about the human condition. I believe we live in the Best of all possible worlds. And I don't believe there has ever been a better time to be alive than now.

In the same breath, it's hard to ignore that the same technological progress which has brought us modern miracles like medicine, increased agricultural productivity, and global communication also non-negotiably renders unto us forces which can corrupt and which can be used to corrupt. Presently this is being weaponized, unintentionally but transcendental from its design, by tech companies to monetize your attention.

The redpill people never mention when bemoaning tech is that it's always been like this. And the only thing that's different this time is that the system's become ruthlessly efficient, more efficient with each iteration.

At different points in history, radio, television, video games, and the Internet were all subjects of the concern of the potential to corrupt, both youth and adults alike.

In 1976, a man coined the phrase "couch potato" to refer to people who spend time lazing on their couch watching television. Television was not one of the first things people considered "mind-numbing", but the first that is still relatable to a modern audience. As an example, people used to call pulp fiction and dime novels mind-numbing too. I'm not old enough to remember a time when reading was ever frowned upon.

Continuing, video games, especially in the wake of Columbine but also before to a lesser extent, were criticized for their depictions of realistic violence and for their potential to blur the lines between the video game world and the real world. They say people get sucked into these games and that they would devote almost all their waking hours to gaming and exploring these virtual worlds, so disjoint from ours, and ultimately shutting themselves out of society. They'd become anti-social, outcasts, and lose touch with what was real and what was not.

The panic around the Internet was similar to that around video games: the media published fantastic stories of people becoming so far absorbed in the Internet that their chatroom persona became their whole self; their entire existence was online, and they, the media cautioned, were victims of technology that had become so addictive that they could not be helped or blamed, but that it was just a shame people spent so much time chatting Online.

In each of these cases, the claims are outlandish, but based on fact. People did actually watch too much television. People did actually play games for days on end. People did actually spend long nights online. And people still do. This time it's different but it's still all the same.

The average American spends 4 hours and 43 minutes1 staring at their phone. Over a week, this amounts to more than a full day. If you find this surprising, consider that this is just the average American; half of Americans spend more time than just 4 hours and 43 minutes.

What is the average person doing on their phone? Messaging. YouTube. Facebook. TikTok. News sometimes. The phone provides entertainment. The phone staves off Boredom.

When you put your phone down next, ask yourself: what did I just read? Summarize the information mentally. I often can't remember what I just looked at. I'm not immune. Like most people, I recognize that I am overly attached to my phone, and that it's draining energy. I've taken measures to reduce how fun it is by logging out of Xitter, which I idly scrolled for years just to look at pretty art.

The amount of time I've stared at this box is interesting, but not concerning. In fact, it's a blessing. Many people are wasting a whole-ass day a week scrolling YouTube Shorts, or TikTok, or Instagram Reels. Messaging friends is forgiven. All else, it's probably just wasted.

The fact that the average person can reclaim a whole day a week is an amazing thing. And while it's sad that people get sucked into this digital sinkhole, considering companies have a financial incentive, even a financial obligation to shareholders, to make content more addictive and more tailored than ever in order to grow their bottomline, it is not surprising at all that this is a problem. It is inherent in the design of the system. For a free market I don't believe there is a solution above the individual level. That's you, you're the individual!

Once you understand this is inherent, that there is no solution, that this has been a problem since forever ago and that also it's only gotten more ruthless and more efficient over time, you understand why It's Never Been Easier To Be Better Than Average.

Use the technology as a tool. Don't let it use you.

And you may think I'm going to transition into saying: "you should do something productive instead of staring at your phone." I'm not, because fuck that. But maybe you can do something that makes you happier instead? Or maybe you could do nothing at all? I've found that many interesting things can happen when you let yourself be bored.

Lie on your back. Stare at a wall. Did you know there is a rich tradition of staring at the ground or a wall for minutes, maybe hours a day? What do they see that we don't?

In my freed time I've discovered passion for things I never would have thought myself capable of doing: I've been able to keep at things I found frustrating and uncomfortable for long enough that those tasks have become enjoyable. Drawing for me has become the activity I point to the most when I talk about this. Prior, art was impenetrable. Now I recognize that thinking to be part of a False Dichotomy, only existing in my head and that of others.