Thank you for sharing this. I agree wholeheartedly in a lot of ways, and yet I fear we are attempting to treat the symptom rather than the root cause of this dis-ease.
We all know that these technologies have the potential to be great and actually strengthen our connections with people around the world, but the problem is that the potential benefits to humanity are not the goal!
Instead the goal is profit, as usual. And so the consumer becomes the product in the age of information. Our attention is commodified and sold rather than using these platforms for our collective benefit.
This is not only a problem with social media, but with ALL media. And so I propose that these guard rails are put in place, not on the technology itself, but on the corporations that profit from human suffering.
Our collective wellbeing needs to be the priority. We've seen enough destruction for the sake of profit.
If I can use diet as an analogy: Rather than looking at a diet as restrictive, cutting something out of your daily eating habits, I have always found it more helpful to ADD something healthier. Replace some chips with an apple. Replace your bread, pasta, fries with AS MANY vegetables as you wish.
How can we encourage youth to ADD to their lives? I've heard that a good proportion of high school kids want to spend MORE time with their parents. What support do parents need to provide this? Social forces are real. I am all for a culture that de-prioritizes social media and screen time.
Thank you for sharing this. I agree wholeheartedly in a lot of ways, and yet I fear we are attempting to treat the symptom rather than the root cause of this dis-ease.
We all know that these technologies have the potential to be great and actually strengthen our connections with people around the world, but the problem is that the potential benefits to humanity are not the goal!
Instead the goal is profit, as usual. And so the consumer becomes the product in the age of information. Our attention is commodified and sold rather than using these platforms for our collective benefit.
This is not only a problem with social media, but with ALL media. And so I propose that these guard rails are put in place, not on the technology itself, but on the corporations that profit from human suffering.
Our collective wellbeing needs to be the priority. We've seen enough destruction for the sake of profit.
If I can use diet as an analogy: Rather than looking at a diet as restrictive, cutting something out of your daily eating habits, I have always found it more helpful to ADD something healthier. Replace some chips with an apple. Replace your bread, pasta, fries with AS MANY vegetables as you wish.
How can we encourage youth to ADD to their lives? I've heard that a good proportion of high school kids want to spend MORE time with their parents. What support do parents need to provide this? Social forces are real. I am all for a culture that de-prioritizes social media and screen time.