My iOS Screen Time was not set up, so I am making an educated guess about my actual screen time usage. I think I use my smartphone more in the evenings: much of my leisure time in the latter half of the day is spent on my phone, especially on weekends or evenings of school days where less is going on. I imagine the most of my time is spent in a web browser (probably Safari).
- To me, it feels like the internet trains us to have a growth-focused and maximalist mindset (more things, content, engagement, etc. is better). It also is very good at projecting ideals of human life for us, especially on social media. These things can give us a different perspective on the world, especially the latter, which can show us a way to live that may be better for us that we wouldn’t’ve otherwise been exposed to. However, these elements both pose risks of making us disconnected from our actual lives and the things and people around us, disrupting our engagement with the “real world”, which I think is felt most acutely in one’s social relationships and sense of place. They also can teach us to chase things, especially in the social realm, that are unobtainable or not nearly as good for us as we think they are, undercutting balanced expectations of self and the world as a whole.
#2 Bad friction:
- Difficult cancellation options for online services (from Dark Patterns) – encourages frustration and surrendering to the service
- Constant reminders for compromising defaults like turning on notifications – in addition to being hostile in a similar way to above, can cause user to internalize platform’s suggestion and make it feel like it’s “normal” to have these things on (punishes difference)
- Poor interface design / cumbersome features in browser versions of platforms (YouTube, Instagram) – discourages use of platform in an environment (web browser) where the user has more control and is less surveilled relative to using the platform’s own proprietary app.
Good friction:
- Know-your-customer/verification measures on online marketplaces: reduces racketeering and identity theft, and may help regulate impulsive shopping for certain kinds of users
- Scrolling limits on social media – prompts the user for at least a small amount of action, one that usually involves conscious choice of the next destination (ex: searching), before consuming more content
- Low blue light / grayscaling filters, especially when automatic: dramatically limits color accuracy of content, which apart from possibly helping the brain and eyes be more comfortable and less woken up at night, also potentially makes using the screen less appealing, subtly encouraging users to either focus on something they find appealing on screen or get off the device. If nothing else, makes the user recognize the late hour at which they’re using the device.
3. A distressing feeling I’m familiar with when cutting back on digital activities is anxiety. Habits around tech use, especially later in the day, are often part of my relaxation and energy regulation, so when the tech is removed, not only am I not getting the immediate experience of the activities, I’m put in an unfamiliar state representing a disruption of comfortable routines my body is highly used to. Trying to replace these activities with tech-free ones such as reading, hands-free music listening, focused self-care, or attempting to sleep early, can bring further stress by heightening the sense of disruption and effort, but can also create habits over time with difficulty. These new habits can be new sources of relaxation and energy regulation, potentially resulting in more self-satisfaction and feelings of control when they are achieved. The feeling of anxiety risked by this fast reflects many things, but to me, the most prominent is the need for consistency and control, something removing tech use initially seems to deprive us of, but which we can reclaim with time by putting time into alternative habits.
