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I completely see screens as a neutral tool and it’s down to how we use them and for what. I’m reading Screentime

by Becca Caddy now and it’s a much more measured approach. She mentions a lot of the things you’ve brought up here like correlation and causality and she’s a lifelong tech writer so she actually likes technology and understands it’s impact to function in within society.

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YES! the distinction between neutral screens and the applications they support is an important one. I do wonder how many of the issues we face with our usage of screens are down to us treating the apps as though they are neutral and not safeguarding ourselves. Although, for clarity, i don’t ascribe blame to us - we’ve been Guinea pigs in a David and Goliath battle (horrendous mixed metaphor - sorry) where we’ve been blindfolded with our hands tied behind our backs - it’s definitely time we started using our slingshots more judiciously 😉 I haven’t heard of Screentime or Becca Caddy but I am going to seek this out now as it sounds right up my street! Thank you!

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Yes! Becca talks a lot about algorithms and what they are designed to do and encourages each of us to be more intentional about our choices. I’m only into chapter 2, but it’s a very balanced and practical read so far.

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