When people go to close their curtains at night they can look out the window and see the moon, which tells them that their day is at a close. And in the morning when they go to pull open their curtains, they can see the sun which shows them a new day has begun. But now the first and last thing people do during the day is check their phones. As Rodger McNamee puts it in his USA Today article, “Tech touches up from the moment we wake up until we go to sleep.” If people weren’t already aware of the harms of being addicted to their phones, then waking up and seeing their phone in hand or beside them should spark a little concern.
But even though awareness of addiction to technology is growing, some people seem to be addicted to it or even have trouble coming off of it. That is because technology companies aren’t looking to solve addiction problems. Instead they want to keep users on it. Because the more time people are on their phones or computers, the more information companies can get on consumer activity, which can be sold to advertisers. According to The Guardian, people tap their phones about 2,617 times a day. It’s things like notifications and updates that are set up by companies to keep people on their phones and bring them back at multiple points during the day. And with the expansion and acquisition of companies in recent years, the control technology has over people and the data that comes with it lies in the hands of less and less people, who may not realize the responsibility they have. And the current trend of technology suggests this issue will only grow because of the relationship it has with businesses around the world, or asCal Newport describes it in his book Deep Work, “We’ve made “the Internet” synonymous with the revolutionary future of business and government.”
Tristan Harris, who worked as a product manager for Google, simply puts it as “Look, never before in history have a handful of people at a handful of technology companies shaped how a billion people think and feel every day with the choices they make about these screens.” Tobacco companies were always criticized for trying exposing their ads to younger audiences through commercials, so imagine what influence a company can have directly through a child’s tablet or computer. Through search history and purchases online, companies can begin to predict patterns and trends in the industry, but by invading personal information. The Washington Post posted an article about Amazon, stating how “the everything store,” has expanded into producing its own TV and movies but also their recent acquisition of Whole Foods. While people may not be on the same name app or site, companies can still follow them through their other assets and acquisitions which keep the name for consumer brand recognition, but behind the scenes they are still the ones receiving the information.
