[callmeed]

Apologies if I'm using the wrong terms, but this comes off as a kind of myopic, libertarian view.

Do you have children? I have 4. A lot of this is easier to understand by watching them. Yes, I know it's my job to teach them how to make good choices. But why do devices suck them in so easily if I don't direct or enforce their behavior?

Of course there are alternatives to junk food. But am I completely, 100% in control of my decisions without any influence from external sources?

There is an entire industry whose sole purpose is to influence your decision making. People in this industry spend about half a trillion dollars a year globally. It's called "advertising" and it wouldn't keep growing if it didn't work.

[buckbova]

> But why do devices suck them in so easily if I don't direct or enforce their behavior?

Advertising had nothing to do with my addiction to gaming.

When I was a kid I played games nonstop on atari before I got an apple ][. Then I played games on that until I got a nintendo, then a PC clone, then a sega genesis, then PS2, and then at some point I had to cut myself off. Cold turkey. I would honestly play the dumbest simple game for hours and hours. I'd beat the same game over and over sometimes.

Young children don't understand moderation. They will eat a bag of cookies or play on a tablet for hours at a time without guidance.

You must direct them and always have an activity at the ready. Set an old school egg timer for say 60 minutes and when it goes off, go shut off the game, take away the tablet/phone, and suggest their next task. Don't wait for them to save the game or fall for the "I'm almost done with the level" nonsense.

[callmeed]

I understand what you're saying and I do do those things with my children. My point was more that children provide a more pronounced example of how our decision to use something is influenced by both advertising and the design of the thing (be it video games, food, or a juicy gossip article). Those decisions can then turn into addiction.

Correct, young children don't understand moderation. But I posit that many adults don't either. And even when they do, those things mentioned above wage war against our desire to moderate.

Push notifications. A/B testing. Email notifications. Constant tweaks to the Facebook news feed algorithm. Those things aren't for children. Why do you think they exist? Have you ever read up on how BuzzFeed tests and changes article headlines in order to maximize clicks, time on page, and sharing? [0] It's quite fascinating. Do you think BuzzFeed wants you to use their site in moderation?

[0] https://www.wired.com/2014/12/new-media-2/

[gnahckire]

> Young children don't understand moderation. They will eat a bag of cookies or play on a tablet for hours at a time without guidance.

Yeah... this was/still is my problem. haha

[JackJi2011]

so do I...

[morgante]

> It's called "advertising" and it wouldn't keep growing if it didn't work.

For the record, it doesn't. Advertising is a fairly consistent percentage of GDP over decades.

More importantly, "advertising" doesn't automatically make products addicting. Literally every industry does advertising, that doesn't mean people are "addicted" to insurance.

For the record, I agree that junk food is addicting. It's probably the addiction I'm most prone too. But that's not because of advertising, it's because the products themselves are addicting.

In fact, by far the biggest addiction in my life is bread from a local bakery. I don't blame advertising (they hardly do any) and I don't even blame "modern food" (this is whole wheat, unrefined bread). I simply acknowledge that I love bread, it tastes great, and if I'm feeling depressed then I overeat it. My bread consumption depends much more on my internal mood and habits than anything "industry" does.

Likewise, technology is not addicting because it's evil. It's addicting because it's good and pleasurable, and if you don't have a solid hold on your mental health it's easy to fill the void with pleasurable products, whether they be bread, Facebook, or alcohol. The solution isn't to ban/quit the product, it's to address that hole in your life.

[callmeed]

Sorry if I wasn't clear earlier but, as I mentioned in another reply, I included advertising as only one part of the equation. The other part, as you said, is the design/contents of the thing itself.

I don't think technology is evil. Nor do I think it should be banned. But I do think it is designed to maximize usage–even if it's to the detriment of the user or his/her friends & family.

Also, I would be careful about ascribing all technology addiction to mental health issues. I think that's a little unfair.

[Theodores]

Sounds like you need to get your own bread making machine to guarantee a fresh supply of always fresh bread, with the best smells and your own continually varying input into the recipe. Have half a dozen varieties of flour at home, mixing as per the mood takes you and enjoy such challenges as the perfect wholemeal loaf.

After a while doing your own breadmaking you will find the 'fresh' bread at the bakers to taste relatively stale and packed full of additives.

However, doing your own bread will take you away from interacting with the baker and his lovely assistants making their venture less profitable. If everyone baked their own bread then the bakery would have no customers. Maybe it is that 'please', 'thank-you' and smile that you get to experience at the bakers that is as much behind your love of bread as the bread itself.

[Retra]

You could say the same things about schools. We spend massive amounts of money on education, solely to influence your decision-making, and we wouldn't continue to do it if it didn't work.

The problem is that you're comparing technology to junk food and alcohol, when you could be just as well comparing it to human contact, clean air, or exercise: things that are also just as addictive as technology.

Which isn't to say ads are good; I very much despise them. But I don't really have much experience with them, because the technology I use doesn't effectively force me to.