This is a short article on how to unplug from anxiety-inducing, conflict-promoting, mind-clouding social media, the Internet, computer and smartphone apps, and other devices and software. It first discusses why you should “unplug” from these sources. If you are already convinced that you should “unplug” you can skip ahead to the second section on how to unplug.
Why unplug?
We now have communication and persuasion technologies far beyond anything in history, far beyond even a few years ago. We have inexpensive gigantic display screens with very high resolution high contrast imagery, high quality stereo and even 3D surround sound delivering life-size realistic images and video to most homes, offices, and many public places including airports, cafeterias, gyms, restaurants and bars.
Video and images are frequently manipulated with powerful still image and video editors and may be merged with computer generated images which can be completely indistinguishable from real images and video. Movies such as the recent Star Wars movies feature entirely realistic computer generated video of deceased actors such as Carrie Fisher and Peter Cushing.
These displays are combined with powerful algorithms, city-sized computers — “data centers” — and teams of engineers at social media giants such as Google, Facebook, and Netflix working 24/7 to attract and hold viewers usually to watch advertising and sell products and services.
Our understanding of cognitive biases is greater than ever. Social psychologists have learned that knowledge of these cognitive biases does not immunize people from the adverse effects and bad decisions caused by cognitive biases. Even cognitive bias expert Daniel Kahneman fell prey to cognitive biases in his book on cognitive biases! In fact this knowledge of cognitive biases can give people a false sense of security and an arsenal of excuses to rationalize away contradictory evidence or logical arguments: those people who disagree with me are driven by this or that cognitive bias and I clearly know better. Google, Facebook and others have hired experts and students from the Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab and similar research groups to apply this knowledge of cognitive biases to capturing eyeballs and selling the products and services of their advertisers.
Media scholars have referred to modern media methods and technology as hyperreal — more real than real. They not only seem real but can be more engaging and addictive than reality.
The campaign for eyeballs and advertising dollars with this new technology relies heavily on hyperbolic headlines and content that produces outrage, fear, anger, and other strong emotions — frequently to drive viewers into the primal fight-or-flight response which generally degrades high cognitive function, the ability to analyze and process complex longer term issues and problems. This has accelerated dramatically with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Numerous media organizations have shifted from bland, ostensibly objective factual reporting to hyper-partisan, often venomous, shallow emotional “reporting.” Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN are extreme examples of this widespread trend. Reporter Matt Taibbi has labeled this new media landscape as Hate Inc.
This modern technology is far beyond the yellow journalism of the 1910’s that contributed to the outbreak of the First World War that killed about 8.5 million soldiers and about 13 million civilians. Companies such as Google and Facebook know far more about their customers and their hot buttons than the media empires of the past, even just a few decades ago.
If you want to think clearly, carefully, and accurately about public policy issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic, what products and services to use or buy, and even to recognize that the media is selling a product or service to you, you need to unplug from this onslaught of modern persuasive technology and high tech propaganda.
How to Unplug
Banish computers, smartphones and other devices from your bedroom.
Turn off screens at least an hour before going to sleep.
Wait at least one half hour before turning on screens when wake up.
Avoid smartphone use. Put your phone in airplane mode and keep it in an RF-shielded secure case most of the time. Only use when absolutely necessary.
Avoid/minimize other mobile device use such as laptops.
Take social media apps and other non-essential apps off smartphone. Turn off all notifications except messages from live friends, family, and colleagues.
Don’t watch fear/outrage cable news, television, and other video sources such as Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC. If something makes you fear, hate, scorn or ridicule some other group, stop watching.
Completely unplug from computers and Internet one day (or more) per week. Exercise, clean and organize your home, cook some food for the week ahead, read a physical book, spend time with friends or family. (If possible)
Set aside limited time periods for ‘bad news’ or other difficult topics. Don’t allow them to be 24/7.
Diversify away from centralized advertising funded sources such as Google and Facebook that use opaque algorithms and teams to manipulate search results or social media feeds.
The Center for Humane Technology has some additional suggestions that may be helpful on their Take Control web page.
Conclusion
Unplugging from anxiety-inducing, mind-clouding social media, apps, the Internet and devices is doable and essential to think clearly and carefully, to make wise decisions on what products and services to use and buy and how to live in the modern world.
(C) 2021 by John F. McGowan, Ph.D.
About Me
John F. McGowan, Ph.D. solves problems using mathematics and mathematical software, including developing gesture recognition for touch devices, video compression and speech recognition technologies. He has extensive experience developing software in C, C++, MATLAB, Python, Visual Basic and many other programming languages. He has been a Visiting Scholar at HP Labs developing computer vision algorithms and software for mobile devices. He has worked as a contractor at NASA Ames Research Center involved in the research and development of image and video processing algorithms and technology. He has published articles on the origin and evolution of life, the exploration of Mars (anticipating the discovery of methane on Mars), and cheap access to space. He has a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a B.S. in physics from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).