For several years now, I've been developing a growing discomfort with a philosophy of relating to technology I call  Waldenponding  (after Thoreau's Walden Pond experiment on which  Walden  is based). The crude caricature is "smash your smart phone and go live in a log cabin to reclaim your attention and your life from being hacked by evil social

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Getting off our smartphones can feel terrifying. When we constantly suppress our thoughts and feelings with content 24/7, they grow more intimidating the longer we avoid them. Sometimes, life is rough and we need to get through the day with whatever makes it easier—and that’s okay. But often, I reach for my phone simply because I’ve forgotten how... See more

Instead of pointing out, “What tech is doing to us...” what if we asked, “What are we doing to

ourselves

?”

This past year I ate at a restaurant which placed cute, chest-like boxes on each table. It was a gentle, decorative nudge to place your phones in there while dining. I loved it . Past tense. After the third time eating there, I thought: “ How... See more