The phone is a symptom of addiction. We've gotten almost to this point of habitualizing the mentality that we want the information hit often. So many designs on the internet are based on that. When you don't have your phone, you forgot it. You're standing there. And you know what to do with yourself. I remember going above ground and realizing that I left my son in New York City. Now I teach classes at law school. It's not just about FOMO fear of missing out. It's more over, well, I don't have a way to get ahold of other people.
This week I was both excited and intrigued to welcome Gaia Bernstein to the show for an eye opening talk about the addictive nature of technology. Gaia is a Law Professor, Co-Director of the Institute for Privacy Protection and Co-Director of the Gibbons Institute for Law Science and Technology at the Seton Hall University School of Law. She writes, teaches and lectures in the intersection of law, technology, health and privacy.
In her new book, Unwired: Gaining Control Over Addictive Technologies she shatters the illusion that we can control how much time we spend on our screens by resorting to self-help measures. Unwired shifts the responsibility for a solution from users to the technology industry, which designs its products to addicts. The book draws out the legal action that can pressure the technology industry to re-design its products to reduce technology overuse.
Gaia has academic degrees in both law and psychology. Her research combines findings from psychology, sociology, science and technology studies with law and policy. Gaia’s research has been featured extensively by the media including the New York Times, Forbes, ABC News and Psychology Today.
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