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Cindy Cohn (EFF) Warns Jon Stewart That Americans Have to Make X and Meta ‘Less Important’
(www.thewrap.com)
this post was submitted on 01 Apr 2026
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good luck, this is like trying to convince a heroin addict to quit because it's bad for them....
social media algorithms are too good, they are too enticing. They have turned distraction into a multi-trillion dollar industry, and they are impacting every single one of our lives whether we are even on the platform or not
Problem is discipline. Reach for a book instead of doom scrolling. Get something done on the house instead of reading X shitposts. The way most people use phones is a sick addiction that needs treatment, and nobody intervenes. I mean people can't look in front of their 2 ton steel cage while they hum down the road at 80mph without checking if some random twat added to their snap story lol.
You and I are the same. Ive been replacing phone distraction crap with better things like books and crafts. Or my GBC, lol
The human brain can't handle all the shit in our devices. They're detrimental to learning.
I recall a book where people were mandated to have an ear piece that shrieks every 6 seconds, to make sure no one ever has any deep thoughts, to keep them dumb and compliant. Guess what our phone notifications are doing? Its probably the worst thing humans have done in the long term.
That would be the short story Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut.
Thank you I had forgot the title
Insane how much literature from over 50 years ago had so much foresight. Just started 1981 and it is eerie to say the least!
Isnt it crazy? I know its been memed to death but reading 1984 is like HoooLlly shit how does no one see this and why is it not being stopped. Similar with reading grapes of wrath.
I literally started reading 1984 because of the memes and constant references to it last few years lol. Have not heart of grapes of wrath will have to check that one out next! Thanks for the book recccomendation!
Oh its a classic. Needs to be read by everyone IMO. Also, east of eden .
Good quote that has been true for hundred years:
I'm trying 🤞 I came to the realization a couple years ago that I was in my phone too much. Memory not what it was, focus lost. It's an uphill battle but I have been getting further away from it every day. Focus, like reading, takes practice. A lot of people out there are "self diagnosing" ADHD these days because they can't do anything without watching reels while doing it and their focus is lost. Not trying to demean any mental health issues, just know the phone thing will lead to mental problems! If you smoke crack every day you WILL get addicted and it will impact your health. Phone is no different, nobody is immune no matter how strong willed you think you are.
I do those things... and social media/phone users tell me I'm an asshole for not being addicted to my phone.
It's socially isolating for a lot of people if they aren't doing what everyone else is doing and aren't following social media trends that most people are freaking out about.
I've had to socially isolate myself a lot more the last few years because it's so intensely pervasive. Like I meet people, they ask me what my social media handle is, and they get ANGRY when I say I don't use it. And even ANGRIER when they ask me what I spend all my time doing and I say I read paper books, watch films from the library, etc. and they tell me that makes me anti social and a pretentious douchebag.
That's rough man. Wise woman once told me tell me who your friends are and I'll tell you who you are, probably just as well to loose some of that crowd. Probably the same folk that before phones would be regulars at the same bar 7 days a week, and only befriended bar mates.
Yeah, they tend to be heavy drinkers and can't socialize without alcohol. They just get drunk at home and doom scroll and group chat now.
If everyone is addicted but you would you think that’s their problem or is it now your problem, too?
It is when it warps the behavior of everyone else around you, and everything in charge of your life.
And I'm not just talking about the lost attention. The algorithms are not neutral.
The issue affects us all, even if you are not a phone addict!