4PSYCHOLOGY
In which we look at the consequences of 24x7 tech on our human minds, which are coded to survive and thrive on tiger-filled savannahs and in fire-warmed caves.
New tech was supposed to be fun! And it was. We connected with old friends, shared pictures of our lives, met new people, debated our opinions, changed our work habits. We even got a little thrill when we thought we were getting something for nothing. (Email! Maps! Chat!) When COVID-19 hit, we all rushed to FaceTime and WhatsApp to connect with family, friends, and colleagues. Zoom went from 10 million to 200 million users per month in the blink of an eye.1
But we aren’t getting something for nothing. We’re giving away our privacy and our economic power, and — most insidiously — we’re granting access to our minds to people who understand psychology, have incredibly powerful technologies at hand, and want to make lots of money from all of those eyeballs. What’s wrong with the picture?
If this evokes imagery of brain-eating zombies, you’re not far off. There is no solid causal link between tech and our aching heads yet, but there’s an awful lot of smoke for no fire. Unhappiness, depression, and even growing suicide rates are increasingly linked to unhealthy technology use.2
Consider that from the 1930s through the 1950s, smoking was seen as harmless or even good for us — calming our nerves, aiding digestion, ...
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