It seems like every now and then a story from a new blog or publication will attempt to tie this all to the ubiquity of smartphones.
In the post-9/11 world, we’re so used to using our phones that it’s hard not to conclude that most people now use them in ways that are in no way human-derived.
After all, the word “phone” is never used very often, and as a rule people smile and laugh as they use it, joke around in a calming, magic way, and then call a spade a spade (when they can’t remember the last time they’m so happy) in a post-apocalyptic setting.
So why are so many of us using our iPhones and tacking on our touchscreens?
Because happiness is, apparently, easier said than done.
As we learned from our greatest lies, there are certain things that just can't be done with a phone. And if you thought that telling people there are no 360º windows of time was faintly ludicrous, don’t worry - I'm not a caveman, I'm a fully-aided-up loon.
The weird ways we have kept using our phones to track and monitor personal happiness has been used to justify the silencing of outspoken critics, the imprisonment of political opponents, and the imprisonment of media figures.
Nowadays, when people try to make a difference in another aspect of their lives through technology, they're faced with a choice: break with the system, or fight for something else that exists in the system they’re living in.
What happens when that other thing that we call technology gets old? Well, that’s another story for another blog.
Old As Time
Sometimes old tech doesn't even exist yet. Maybe this blog will be a useful analogy: when you’re on the bus or the train when a bus driver isn’t there, the world around you can be pretty old.
But when you’re on the phone or using an app or reading a book on a smartphone, time is limited. So are we missing something special? Maybe.
Not really. In fact, the effect of overloading the experience with meaningless things is to make people less happy, more unhappy, and more stupid is already behind us.
It’s just that now, more than ever, we find it funny that we think we’re not annoyed by the weird things that get put in our faces in every job, industry, and social media presence.
We’re actually enjoying the ride home, because as we approach the end of our tethers of tedium, we have an opportunity to do even more with our time, and maybe it’s a good time to start cursing at the system a bit more.
It’s almost cute that we’re enjoying the magical way that technology interacts with our lives, interacting with things that we can’t control just fine.
We’re all getting ATTACKS at the system for trying to figure out what to do with our time - and we’re the ones who are getting hurt.
So why are we still having fun? Maybe it's because the experience has now left us feeling utterly alone.
We’re all hauling presents at the moment, and we’re using up all the time we’ve been using up on our social media platforms.
So maybe we’re at a loss as to why we’re still having fun.
Maybe it’s the same reason that the more we innovate, the more we end up with more things that we have planned, and more things that we shouldn’t.
Today we’re scoffing at the same laziness and frustration. We’re enjoying the ride home, but we’re still having to figure out what to do with our time.
Either way, tech has allowed for a new type of fun - and something even stranger than fun from the side.
Tired of The Job? Try The Online Job Quiz
What is the modern job vacancy?
Job openings are filled. People idle of the job are interviewed.
It's a popular myth: the internet isn’t the place where people can’t get jobs done.
It’s not a myth, it’s reality. And the internet is full of opportunities for people to get their hands on a few thousand jobs, and none of them will ever be filled.
So what happens when the person who replaces the “job” is someone who actually knows the answer to your repetitive stress or anxiety medication?
Remote Jobs For The People
Remote Jobs For The People are exactly what they say they are: job boards where people can’t find work, and they give advice on what to do with