Specious Idea #3

Personal computing has improved since 2010

2010 marked the launch of the iPhone 4, Instagram, and the iPad. In every traditional metric, personal computing has improved since 2010. Moore’s law was consistently surpassed and personal computing became faster, sleeker, more powerful. 

However, these objective measures of technological progress obscure critical externalities. For instance, screen time and anxiety have skyrocketed since 2010. In the last ten years, there has been a 62% increase in hospitalizations for American females ages 15-19 and a 189% increase in females ages 10-14 due to self harm. This spike is largely attributed to increasing amounts of social media usage. Social media’s addictive and emotion warping properties undoubtedly have deleterious consequences.

Personal computing’s value as a tool hit a zenith and has been rapidly deteriorating. We have sacrificed control and productivity for vapid improvements and entertainment. Why else would half of millennials report actively trying to find ways to reduce their screen time? This is not what Steve Jobs had in mind when he envisioned the iPhone. Apple created products to be bicycles for the mind. However, we’ve traded bicycles in for Pelotons and are stuck peddling between TikTok and Snapchat. 

With the 2,000 technological steps forward since 2010, we need a veritable step backwards. We need a community to promote healthier relationships with technology. We need a digital environment that looks a little closer to 2010. By inverting social incentives, Ludite unlocks a path forwards towards cultivating user control over their technology. Join us today.