When you live a principled life, you observe society being moved this way and that by the idea or meme of the day. One day this country is our friend, the next day the same country is our enemy. What changed? The propaganda (a future principle covers this).
One consistent but ever-changing societal meme is that of harmful technology. What that technology is has changed in my lifetime, but the way society treats it has always been the same:
Ooh, cool new technology
Everybody is doing it, ain’t it great
Boy, I sure spend a lot of time with this
This tech is bad for us!
I’ve seen it with television, with personal computers, with video games, and now it’s phones, and more specifically the social media people use their phones for. This is not to say the this-tech-is-bad-for-you folks are wrong: Too much of anything is likely harmful, and a kid who was glued to the TV in the 1950s instead of playing with her friends outside really did give herself a disadvantage in life.
But it’s just a tool, in each case. The tool itself is not the problem, any more than alcohol is a problem — until you misuse it. Now a parent can absolutely set limits on any tool or object or activity. That’s almost the definition of parenting or else no one would learn to brush their teeth.
When it comes to society, however, before you ask your government to ban a technology, perhaps try to limit your use on your own? It’s just a tool, how you use it is what counts.
Just as there are people predisposed to becoming alcoholic, or having a tendency to gamble, there will always be people who simply cannot stop themselves from using a tool. I’m sympathetic to that problem, but that’s why Principle 1 was so important. We do not live alone, so sometimes we have rules that we personally do not need, but others do. Be sympathetic toward your local politician who is being asked to solve many different, conflicting societal issues at once.
But for yourself, before you get caught up in the mimetic chasing of the latest hated object, stop and remember that it’s just a tool. How you use it is what matters.
Oh, c’mon, you say, social media is objectively bad! Not necessarily. When the Net first started — even before the Web which was invented in 1989 and opened to the public in 1991 — back when the “Net” was just one computer connecting to another computer over phone lines, people were connecting to people around the world in many cases for the first time. It was fascinating because most of those people were idealistic technologists who thought if the world could just get together it would be better for all of us.
And for some folks it was the best thing ever. For the first time they could break free of the bonds of their small town and regularly meet with others who shared their exact interest. It was freeing!
So what went wrong? The rest of the world showed up.
So now you can meet with like-minded folks, but everyone else can look over your shoulders and troll or kibbutz or be as cruel as those small-town folks were back in the day.
If that’s your experience, I have good news for you: those same idealist folks are still there, and you can still connect, you may just have to find new avenues to connect with them. If one app or site is overrun with people who treat you badly, move to a smaller site and try again.
Connecting isn’t the problem, it’s the specific social media environment that can be the problem. Find another outlet.
Your 'harmful technology cycle' is spot on. We're like kids with a new toy - fascinated, obsessed, then suddenly wary. It's as if we're surprised each time to discover that our shiny new gadgets have benefits and drawbacks. Who knew lol!
While I agree that banning isn't the answer, we may need a middle ground. We need more transparency in how these 'tools' are designed. We need to push for ethical guidelines in tech development. Trust me. I've worked in technology for the last decade and compliance is a big part of my portfolio. It's so bad that I want out. Thank you for sharing Nick.