You think so? Before Internet, people were watching TV for hours and hours every day. I think we just love completely effortless, passive entertainment, even if it's ultimately low value.
I think the difference is that the digital wool fools us into thinking, at least at some level, that we're being productive. It's much easier to pull yourself away from the TV to "do" something because watching TV genuinely feels passive. Consumption of content on the internet/smartphones blends the passive entertainment with a feeling of productivity so well that you feel like it's actually worth it to just check this or that app, or to just scroll for a little bit longer to see if you happen across something that actually has value. It's harder to break away from.
That’s what I feel about reading comments on HN too, though it’s not in the same category as completely wasted time, spending time on HN gives you the false feeling of productivity
It's not a feeling of digital being "productive", it's that digital is effectively infinite. With TV you could get bored because there just wasn't anything you wanted to watch on at a given moment. With Digital that is never the case, there is something out there for you, you just haven't found it yet.
I haven't been working these since Jan, and more and more often I've got the feeling that I've "run out of Internet" - there's nothing more to read that interests me.
I found royalroad.com about a year ago, there's years worth of distraction on there assuming you're a fan of fantasy webnovels.
I mostly agree, but I don't think we actually love it exactly. I think, like alcohol, overconsumption is a response to stress and trauma.
You're right. It gets worse over time. People now carry their TV to the toilet, read digital news on the bus and respond to texts on their phone even when "out" with someone else.
Honestly, good point. Perhaps I’d rephrase my point to this: for productive members of society, it will be increasingly important to practice good digital habits for focus as technology gets more and more distracting. Of course, this class of “productive members of society” will continue to get smaller for the reasons you mentioned as well as the impact of AI, etc.
You had smaller low quality screens, fewer channels and no ability to record. Even if some people watched TV a lot, it was much easier to ignore.