Does anyone else think that in hindsight the world and tech would have been a better if the iPhone had flopped? Lately I've been having this thought. Maybe the narcissism and ignorance of social media wouldn't have spread as fast without computers in our pockets. Maybe our privacy rights would be stronger, more physical media and ownership of our own products as well as right to repair. Not trying to sound like a luddite just a thought experiment. Perhaps a large segment of our population doesn't need to always be connected. The iPhone opened a door that led to the digital world absorbing the physical one, where as I believe it should augment the real world.
I get your sentiment.
The iPhone specifically failing might just mean someone else later would fill the void, but let’s assume the “concept” itself at large flopping.
Here’s my harsh take: the ailments of society due to social media would have found its ways anyways.
Narcissism, ignorance, isolation and the need for attention are a powerful thing.
If it wasn’t going to proliferate digitally through these phones, it was going to be through some other medium, and I believe
physical manifestations would be even more prevalent: more graffiti, vandalism, noise, chaos, and more of anything/anywhere someone could scream
“me! Me! Me! You… LOOK at me!” (which is what obnoxious social media posts are ultimately about).
So we would still have that, albeit spreading a lot slower (but still spreading), with none of the benefits: wouldn’t be able to get in a car, launch CarPlay, prepare a 2 days long road travel with what’s basically military grade charting/localization features with added conveniences like pointing where’s a next gas station or food stop for free.
Wouldn’t be able to go on a
daily jog with all the music in the world to run to, or listen to what the greatest minds in the world got to say (or average joes alike) in the form of podcasts; while getting my pace speed or a lot more if paired with health devices like the Watch.
Wouldn’t be able to have a sync point with
growing nephews, or
showing aging parents their grandkids, all with realtime audio AND video.
I could listen here all the benefits of this tech in all things learning, communications, aid, lifestyle, conveniences…
The price to pay is all the things you mention, however,
we are all sentient beings, we choose what we choose to do and in this specific set of social media activities there’s nothing to stop nor control (since it’s at its base not illegal); I just accept it, let them and move along.
This also can be a plus… every minute someone else spends scrolling, lashing, complaining, being lazy, looking for validation without the work, trying to get a free ride at the cost of others, is a minute they didn’t spend learning, fixing, advancing their craft, health, etc. It’s a minute of
advantage you and me get by basically doing absolutely nothing.
Me personally, the one part that bothers me a bit still is work.
We are findable anywhere at any time and me personally am at fault for looking for it too (when checking work email at a random time).
The fix was to shoot point blank with coworkers, managers and the like that after 5pm I vanish and during a long 3.5 weeks Christmas vacations anything work related is turned off minus one very brief courtesy sync call in the middle in case anything truly major needed to be said.
They could fire me for it, so be it, but if most took an active stance the corporate world would think twice.
My .002 long rant cents of what I think on this topic.
