EP 085: How To Claim Control Over Our Tech
The Quantum Biology Collective Podcast
Embracing Humanality and In-Person Connections
Exploring the power of collective action and the beauty of long-term projects in contrast to instant gratification culture. Reflecting on deep learning, mastery, and the importance of in-person interactions for well-being in the digital age.
“We’re sort of becoming the AA of the digital world,” says today’s guest Andrew Laubacher, executive director of the new nonprofit Humanality. The organization helps college students redefine their relationship with technology, encouraging intentional use and control rather than being controlled by it. Students participate in various levels of “detox,” including reducing screen time, trading smartphones for “dummy” phones, and deleting social media accounts.
Andrew knows the struggle firsthand. As a touring musician, he was constantly on social media to promote his band and gigs, leading to a smartphone addiction. After removing himself from social media, he experienced numerous benefits, such as an increased attention span, deepened relationships, and an enhanced capacity for learning.
Humanality is not anti-technology. Instead, it aims to help young people realize their true selves, free from the need for social validation, novelty, and positive feedback that devices exploit, while fostering real-world interpersonal relationships.
In today’s episode of The Quantum Biology Collective podcast, Andrew and host Meredith Oke discuss the natural world as our portal to God’s grace and why more adults should incorporate play into their lives.
Quotes
- “I just started to notice in myself, over the year, man, I was on this way too much. I was way too concerned with myself. It was making me really anxious because I was literally able to see everything happening in the world all at once, and I really do believe the human person was not designed to experience an attribute of God, which is namely His omnipresence. He is the only one that has the capacity to be able to handle that power, but I had it in the palm of my hand.” (9:52 | Andrew Laubacher)
- “Studying the minds behind these designs, they really weren’t well-intentioned and they weren’t really thinking of our well-being. They were thinking of our attention and, really, monetizing it.” (14:09 | Andrew Laubacher)
- “I do believe people are waking up to the deleterious effects of online life. And really how we believe at Humanality that engaging reality is worth it, and that being a human person, in person, while utilizing the good of technology is more optimal.” (15:46 | Andrew Laubacher)
- “There’s sort of a biological mismatch we’re in right now, where pretty much all the insta-ficatation of everything…and I honestly enjoy a lot of them, but they’re also, largely, not what our biology was designed for and making us sick. So, it’s this really weird experience where the convenience is amazing but it’s kind of also killing us.” (24:20 | Andrew Laubacher)
Links
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