The Social Dilemma's Nonchalance

In the same way of having someone alert you of an issue and then stare at you to fix it, The Social Dilemma has frustrating shortcomings that leaves you with an unwanted feeling in your stomach.  As the film notes, rates of depression, suicide, and plastic surgery among teenage girls have doubled since the popularization of social media in 2009. However, the only remedy the film suggests are murky legislative exhortations and simplistic tips for reducing screen time like deleting Instagram. 

Obviously, solutions will be difficult to create, but surely these bright individuals who flipped from architects of the problem to alarm ringers can do better than recommending us to “turn off notifications.” 

Banal recommendations like this do not incite meaningful change for an individual. We still have to reckon with addictive pulls and their deleterious consequences. Everyone intuitively grasps the issue, but crafting a balanced relationship without tools is nearly impossible.

This is exactly what Ludite is. Drawing on empirical evidence on habit change, Ludite takes dopamine-inducing social incentives and uses them to nudge us off our phones. 

The app works like a normal social media site, but in order to post you have to put your phone down. When you return to your phone, you can take a picture of what you did. So, you are sharing what you are doing when you aren't on your phone. Further, you are accumulating points to compete with friends while your phone is off, thus incentivizing healthier habits and leaning on your friends to hold you accountable.

From a soft launch to 250 people, it has become resoundingly clear that inverting these social incentives works. Early users have reported more control over urges and reduced screen time. We would love to welcome you to the community to help yourself and others develop better digital habits. 

Looking forward to seeing you on the app!