we have become addicted to variable rewards. we grab our phones, post messages, scan the news, keep checking the feed, we are waiting for that next stimulant. it is hardwired in our brains and the technology companies have figured this out. we have streaming television, constant feed of news and higher status numbers and an ever increasing amount of social media platforms. the addiction is gaining speed, unlike substance abuse, technological addiction is accepted in a society whose masses the governments hope to keep entertained. it is accepted among parents, who have an indifference to truly spending time and raising their kids, and the companies could not ask for a better situation to keep us attached to their media and the main frame.
ride an elevator, and watch the occupants reach into their pocket to check their phone. ten percent of the population now sleep with their phone under their pillow, the rest with it right next to the bed. there is a word for the personal objects we keep within reach, like our wallet and our loved ones, it is what we consider the most important thing in our life. to think, ten years ago this smart phone was not part of our dna, and the idea that we sleep with it would have been absurd just a few years ago.
when he announced that the ipad was the greatest new technology on earth, steve jobs went on to lament how the tool would make our lives better. how it would be the greatest object to view technology on, how it wold be great for interaction and using in the office and at home. a few weeks later, when asked how his children enjoyed the new product, he went on to tell a reporter that he had not given his child one and did not plan too, when pressed on why, he smiled and simply ended the interview.