Ask HN: What are unintended consequences of new tech you've noticed?

Re:Ask HN: What are unintended consequences of new tech you'... by un_montagnard on Friday October 25, 2019 @10:47PM (#21361361)

This is depressingly relatable. Sometimes when I'm walking back home, I end up checking Instagram, Reddit, work mail at every crosswalk while I'm waiting for the signal to turn green. And I'm not happy because either there's nothing new or because I realize what I'm doing and I tell myself "look what you've become, you're not even capable of waiting 30 seconds without pulling out your phone".

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Re:Ask HN: What are unintended consequences of new tech you'... by zonidjan on Friday October 25, 2019 @11:02PM (#21361421)

Would you be any happier if you were, instead, standing there staring at traffic waiting for the light to change?

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Re:Ask HN: What are unintended consequences of new tech you'... by munmaek on Saturday October 26, 2019 @12:28AM (#21361725)

Yes. You have two main options, among others.

1) choose to focus on the sensory input you’re receiving. The view of the scenery around you, the noise around you, the wind on your skin. Cars and their passengers can be interesting in their own right- people watching still exists.

2) meditate or think about something.

Those are substantially better than refreshing HN, Instagram, etc for the hundredth time that day.

Being bored is a choice. It takes work to not reflexively pull open Reddit. I still struggle with this from time to time.

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Re:Ask HN: What are unintended consequences of new tech you'... by elliekelly on Friday October 25, 2019 @11:51PM (#21361603)

I’ve started leaving my phone at home when I walk my dog to get coffee every morning. The first few days, maybe even weeks, it was actually pretty uncomfortable. (What does a normal person do at the crosswalk without a phone??) Now I kind of like it. I think about what I have to do for the day and mentally plan out how I’ll tackle it.

The only major downside is when I think of something I want to write down or look up.

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Re:Ask HN: What are unintended consequences of new tech you'... by bsder on Friday October 25, 2019 @11:50PM (#21361600)

Set up something else to do when you pull out your phone.

Set up Anki, lichess, etc. anything that is better than brain junk food.

It's really easy to break the social media habit by replacing it with something semi-useful.

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