this post was submitted on 09 Jul 2023
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The point the article tries to make is that we kind of were, we just got our dopamine from other, similarly meaningless pastimes like reading the backs of shampoo bottles.
I would argue there is a significant dosage difference. The internet can deliver experiences on par with hard-hitting emotional news, and can do it for hours straight.
Not even Dr Bronners can pull that off.
In that respect it's mostly wrong. We were far more social for one. Spent most of our time talking on the phone or in person instead of typing. Friends came over and spent most of your time together instead of staying home and playing MP online. Stuck on the bus for 40 mins? Made a new friend. We didn't get hit by cars crossing streets nearly as often, planned and internalized our trips instead of mindlessly following electronic instructions. Cooked full meals following realtime instructions given by mom instead of ordering takeout via app and so on.
A lot of the 'culture' nowadays is centred on what I think of as the 'shortening attention span economy' and I agree that smartphones are the predominant cause of that.