I saw an article about a trend among some techies of stepping back from using so much technology. Maybe “live fast die young” is morphing into “live slow die whenever.”
These techies aren’t abandoning technologies. They’re just trying to reign in technology’s intrusion into their lives – like buying a cell phone for phone calls only, instead of buying a smart phone.
A bartender friend said it’s very common for patrons to sit at his bar, pull out their smart phone, and start scrolling around and there’s person next to them doing the same thing. Often my friend will try to get them to put their phones up and have a chat with their bar mate.
Some strategies are clever and put some skin into the game. When dining out, for example, some folks will pile all the cell phones on the table and the first person to use their phone before the meal ends has to pick up the tab.
There’re some pricier options too. Consider the “black hole” resorts where techies with some dough can pay a couple of grand a night for a luxurious stay where there’s no computer or phone access.
I’m not against technology. It’s not lost on me that I read some articles online and of course, wrote and published this on my laptop. I do think it’s good to control technology’s impact on our lives though.