Essential information. It seems impossible for me to believe that anyone would ever think that cigarettes, with all the chemicals added to the tobacco, would not be harmful. Anyone can feel the burning sensation and if smoked for some period of time, the affects, such as shortness of breath, sore throat, a cough. I feel the same with technology. It’s obviously addicting - just look around. Everyone is looking at their screens. And most technology companies employ psychologists to provide information on how to make the devices even more addictive. There have been several articles on this platform that have mentioned addiction specialists and clinics that deal specifically with technology addiction. I predict it will become a booming business in the future - unfortunately.
Talking about the future: another analogy could be drawn between tobacco and addictive tech. I remember watching the documentary Merchants of Doubt (2014). It explored how the tobacco industry employed pundits-for-hire to spread the message that "tobacco isn't that bad". They casted serious & harmful doubt on the rising scientific consensus that smoking caused major health risks. We're past that now, but the docu also drew analogies with that 1% or so climate-change denying scientists that still exist today. Those have unreasonable power (convenient for Trump). I'm wondering how this will unfold with the tech addiction crisis.
Thanks for your comments. It got me thinking how I am forgetting what little information was available back then. Also, how most people just believed what the “authorities” told them. I mean, even the doctors were smoking in their offices! If so many are “doing it” it can’t be bad kind of mentality. That’s the double edge sword - I’m grateful for the information now available because of technology but sad because of it’s additive nature. And I agree about the 1% climate-change scientists - it certainly can confuse people and make it all seem so difficult to navigate. Yet, how can one ignore the “obvious”?
We call it the “ nuclear option” when we or the parents hand a grandchild a phone in a restaurant to keep them from disturbing us and everyone around us. I was in a waiting room at Johns Hopkins Hospital recently and a father’s 3 yo was on a tablet the whole time squealing with delight at cartoons. The dad had all kinds of food as well to appease the child but he had hours wait for his wife who was having a procedure and no one but him to care for the child. It IS horrifying to see even one year olds know how to manipulate a smart device. As a grandparent, I play with my grandkids and hope the “nuclear option” doesn’t have to be used too often.
Really important for the 96% of us in thinking about the quality of our interactions-remember talking to someone on a bus or while in a waiting room, now it’s heads down only. what about our kids! The creators of the technology don’t let their kids near phones. I have thought about going back to a flip phone and will think harder but it’s so hard to give up all the other features!
Our grandkids always want a phone or tablet when they're with us. When they get a bit older, perhaps, but 5 years old is too young, even though their parents have been handing them phones since infancy. We're the grumpy grandparents.
Essential information. It seems impossible for me to believe that anyone would ever think that cigarettes, with all the chemicals added to the tobacco, would not be harmful. Anyone can feel the burning sensation and if smoked for some period of time, the affects, such as shortness of breath, sore throat, a cough. I feel the same with technology. It’s obviously addicting - just look around. Everyone is looking at their screens. And most technology companies employ psychologists to provide information on how to make the devices even more addictive. There have been several articles on this platform that have mentioned addiction specialists and clinics that deal specifically with technology addiction. I predict it will become a booming business in the future - unfortunately.
Talking about the future: another analogy could be drawn between tobacco and addictive tech. I remember watching the documentary Merchants of Doubt (2014). It explored how the tobacco industry employed pundits-for-hire to spread the message that "tobacco isn't that bad". They casted serious & harmful doubt on the rising scientific consensus that smoking caused major health risks. We're past that now, but the docu also drew analogies with that 1% or so climate-change denying scientists that still exist today. Those have unreasonable power (convenient for Trump). I'm wondering how this will unfold with the tech addiction crisis.
Thanks for your comments. It got me thinking how I am forgetting what little information was available back then. Also, how most people just believed what the “authorities” told them. I mean, even the doctors were smoking in their offices! If so many are “doing it” it can’t be bad kind of mentality. That’s the double edge sword - I’m grateful for the information now available because of technology but sad because of it’s additive nature. And I agree about the 1% climate-change scientists - it certainly can confuse people and make it all seem so difficult to navigate. Yet, how can one ignore the “obvious”?
Definitely food for thought! and a little scary...
We call it the “ nuclear option” when we or the parents hand a grandchild a phone in a restaurant to keep them from disturbing us and everyone around us. I was in a waiting room at Johns Hopkins Hospital recently and a father’s 3 yo was on a tablet the whole time squealing with delight at cartoons. The dad had all kinds of food as well to appease the child but he had hours wait for his wife who was having a procedure and no one but him to care for the child. It IS horrifying to see even one year olds know how to manipulate a smart device. As a grandparent, I play with my grandkids and hope the “nuclear option” doesn’t have to be used too often.
Really important for the 96% of us in thinking about the quality of our interactions-remember talking to someone on a bus or while in a waiting room, now it’s heads down only. what about our kids! The creators of the technology don’t let their kids near phones. I have thought about going back to a flip phone and will think harder but it’s so hard to give up all the other features!
Our grandkids always want a phone or tablet when they're with us. When they get a bit older, perhaps, but 5 years old is too young, even though their parents have been handing them phones since infancy. We're the grumpy grandparents.