Great read, Jack! As someone who grew up right inside that Millennial/ Gen Z age gap, I’m happy I remember dial up, flip phones and DVD Netflix to see how far we’ve come. Facebook, IG and Snapchat hit their stride when I was in Middle School, and seeing how fast people became obsessed with social media in real time always made me a little bit wary of where we were headed. My generation helped lead the boom, but we are also starting to recognize and address the long-term impact to try to help those that followed us down the path.
It seems that in the past 10-15 years people’s preferences changed to “convenience at any cost.” This created a push for frictionless digital experiences, where you can order, stream, contribute to anything from the comfort of your couch.
The unintended consequences have been commodification of things that were previously human and face-to-face. Now we are realizing that convenience is not the end-all-be-all, especially when it comes to human relationships.
I'm really interested to see how this plays out in the future. I didn't know these stats but they don't surprise me. My son is 7 and while he gets his fair share of tablet time, I'm seeing him be very anti my phone and wanting to do "technology free" days of his own suggestion. I think kids today are so used to and frustrated with seeing their parents on phones, they are going to push back against the devices or at least the current form of the devices.
I also think that due to how real AI imagery is becoming and the challenge deep fakes pose, all generations will pretty much stop believing everything they see online and only believe it if they see it for themselves. I literally believe no pictures and most stories I read online. I still hold that Linda Yaccarino video about X suing is a deep fake created though I think that's just wishful thinking.
Strong agree! I wrote something along similar lines, also noting the early uptick in analog so happy to share that opinion! I think the future of GenAI content will only accelerate our need for life offline - and I’m so here for it.
I think another thing to consider as well is the use of older technologies coming back as well to keep things 'digitally minimalist' in a sense. Thanks to a society that perpetuates growth and maximalism, people often forget that we only need certain small amounts of technology to really amplify our lives. Do you really need 32 GB of RAM for your PC? No, you really don't. In the same way that we tidy our spaces in the real world, we must do so digitally as well.
Good article. For most people, Interacting / conversing with a real person unleashes unconscious levels of camaraderie and empathy; that are generally not found when a human communicates with a machine.
Kurt Vonnegut had a wonderful response on why he used a typewriter instead of a computer and the real purpose of going to the post office to buy an envelope.
Great thoughts. The internet and everything that comes with it has many pros and cons. If not used correctly it can be a net negative in our lives. I tend to think the internet and social media is a bit like guns, it's not the gun that is bad, but more so how it is used that could make it bad.
Has our attention span become a good filter for books, I wonder? I've noticed there are books I can read, and books I have difficulty reading and staying focused on (content I presume as 'dry').
Great read, Jack! As someone who grew up right inside that Millennial/ Gen Z age gap, I’m happy I remember dial up, flip phones and DVD Netflix to see how far we’ve come. Facebook, IG and Snapchat hit their stride when I was in Middle School, and seeing how fast people became obsessed with social media in real time always made me a little bit wary of where we were headed. My generation helped lead the boom, but we are also starting to recognize and address the long-term impact to try to help those that followed us down the path.
definitely agree.
Adding onto the theme is recent popularity of run clubs, padel clubs, mixers,etc. In person just works much better !
It seems that in the past 10-15 years people’s preferences changed to “convenience at any cost.” This created a push for frictionless digital experiences, where you can order, stream, contribute to anything from the comfort of your couch.
The unintended consequences have been commodification of things that were previously human and face-to-face. Now we are realizing that convenience is not the end-all-be-all, especially when it comes to human relationships.
I'm really interested to see how this plays out in the future. I didn't know these stats but they don't surprise me. My son is 7 and while he gets his fair share of tablet time, I'm seeing him be very anti my phone and wanting to do "technology free" days of his own suggestion. I think kids today are so used to and frustrated with seeing their parents on phones, they are going to push back against the devices or at least the current form of the devices.
I also think that due to how real AI imagery is becoming and the challenge deep fakes pose, all generations will pretty much stop believing everything they see online and only believe it if they see it for themselves. I literally believe no pictures and most stories I read online. I still hold that Linda Yaccarino video about X suing is a deep fake created though I think that's just wishful thinking.
Strong agree! I wrote something along similar lines, also noting the early uptick in analog so happy to share that opinion! I think the future of GenAI content will only accelerate our need for life offline - and I’m so here for it.
Excellent article! Bravo to knobs, paper menus and old fashioned interaction!
I think another thing to consider as well is the use of older technologies coming back as well to keep things 'digitally minimalist' in a sense. Thanks to a society that perpetuates growth and maximalism, people often forget that we only need certain small amounts of technology to really amplify our lives. Do you really need 32 GB of RAM for your PC? No, you really don't. In the same way that we tidy our spaces in the real world, we must do so digitally as well.
We are also seeing restaurants gp back to paper menus
Three weeks into a flip phone and loving it.
This was wonderful Jack! I love the reversion to analog, and really liked how you phrased it - Allister Nelson
Good article. For most people, Interacting / conversing with a real person unleashes unconscious levels of camaraderie and empathy; that are generally not found when a human communicates with a machine.
Kurt Vonnegut had a wonderful response on why he used a typewriter instead of a computer and the real purpose of going to the post office to buy an envelope.
“Many drivers want buttons, not screens, and they’ve given carmakers an earful about it. “- AMEN!!!! 👏🏻
Whatever in person or face to face is Lindy. If bell bottoms can come back why not analog displays… interesting perspective indeed.
Great thoughts. The internet and everything that comes with it has many pros and cons. If not used correctly it can be a net negative in our lives. I tend to think the internet and social media is a bit like guns, it's not the gun that is bad, but more so how it is used that could make it bad.
Has our attention span become a good filter for books, I wonder? I've noticed there are books I can read, and books I have difficulty reading and staying focused on (content I presume as 'dry').