How has technology improved our lives? There is no question that our lives are much easier with the numerous apps out there that allow us to get a cab, order food, chat with friends, navigate a new city, however, does all this translate to greater well-being? The important distinction is that what makes our lives easier may not necessarily be good. For example, with the advent of text messaging & social media we are more connected through our phones at the expense of possibly being more disconnected from the actual moment.

I find it interesting that we are more likely to connect with people over a Tweet or Facebook message than with the man or woman sitting next to us on the bus. I was using a dating app called Coffee Meets Bagel for a while, since it’s hard meeting people and this app facilitates that connection. Although, I agree with my reasoning, another reason I was using the app was because I am too shy to approach random people to engage in a conversation. I feel like the most interesting moments in life come through random interactions, which I’ve largely been trying to avoid through the use of technology.

In addition to the various social media apps, we have casual gaming apps, email apps, and text messaging apps to name a few. Unless we use all these apps mindfully, it is so easy to spend our days endlessly interrupted by them which prevents a state of flow where meaningful & creative work gets done.
Just like institutions and governments have a perspective on foods, alcohol, cigarettes etc., I think we definitely need to study the addictive nature of technology to see what impact it has on end users. There is no doubt that certain web & mobile products are addictive, what may make them possibly more dangerous than other addictive things is that these products are easily accessible and often times free.

These products are free because many company’s have a mindshare business model, they are competing for consumer attention to maximize advertising revenue. Therefore, these companies have a major incentive to make their products addictive, without asking the question how much is too much? I would guess most companies don’t ask whether it is safe or healthy for people to spend their entire days playing their games, reading their site, or utilizing their app.

Just like we criticize finance companies for their unchecked greed, will technology companies one day be criticized for the unchecked development of addictive products that provide no real value?

I definitely see an opportunity for technology companies to shift out of the mindset of maximizing mind share, and instead focus on creating products that actually add value by increasing the well-being of each user. This shift would also mean moving away from a free to paid model to align incentives. For a free product the focus is on maximizing engagement. For a paid product the focus is on producing something of value.

As consumers of technology it is really important to be mindful on how it is affecting our lives. It may sound ludicrous, but just like we have to be mindful of organic, fair trade, GMO, alcohol, unhealthy foods we have to be just as mindful of our technology usage. Just because the media and technology we consume may not have a direct connection to our health, it definitely has some psychological impact that we need to consider.