Honestly, it's probably the phones - by Noah Smith
noahpinion.substack.com/p/honestly-its-probably-the-phones
What Jamie wrote
How much data are we going to need to show before we accept it.
But why would devices that make people more connected lead to social isolation? Isn’t that backwards? Doesn’t having access to all of their friends and acquaintances at all times via a device in their pockets mean that kids are less isolated than before?
Well, no. As the natural experiment of the pandemic demonstrated, physical interaction is important. Text is a highly attenuated medium — it’s slow and cumbersome, and an ocean of nuance and tone and emotion is lost. Even video chat is a highly incomplete substitute for physical interaction.
Repeating patterns visited frequently:
- Mobile technology creates a platform that allows us to disengage from those around us.
- Social media creates a substitution for social interaction that is saccharin and unfulfilling.
- We are organic and social beings that benefit from being around others.
The chart of "Teens who meet up with their friends 'almost every day'" is rough.
The added layer on this issue though is that all the parents have the same problem. I truly think we may be slow to understand the impact on kids because we are having trouble with our own addiction.
With smoking at least we had the population that did not smoke that could question "Hey, maybe that isn't good for you?" Who is outside of this bubble to ask questions?