Entry 1/28/2024   Why a web page?

My efforts to use social media in ways that work for me have failed, and I wanted to try this way – where I could really shape the experience and be a place where friends and new to me people can interact free of chaos.

What if cell phones were different?

What if they worked for us and helped us create the lives we really want, not the lives many for-profit corporations want for us? What if we could really depend on our phones under threat of legal action that we got accurate news, access to entertainment and products we want, and connections we want? I honestly have found close to zero activity online (strange) about changing cell phones or offering options that truly provide options. It is interesting that no one seems to be talking about how cell phones could have been designed differently, could have been more of a positive influence in our community and family lives, and how the negatives might outweigh the positives. 

What if we had demanded a phone that allowed us to choose the level of scrutiny our news got? “Entertainment” and “vetted news” available but clearly labeled as such? What if we demanded phones access to phones that lasted longer? People could choose the faster turn-over if they wanted, but tech companies would have to honor older platforms or apps that were working for people. Wouldn’t that be helpful? What if we got to choose from a variety of layouts for social media, from fast scrolling and random to slow scrolling and community based? What if we got to choose “Keep me from being bored” or “Help me find mental health” or “I want to connect to local friends” to “I want to make international friends”. It would be a theme based option! How cool does that sound. I am not a fan of censorship or controls and regulations, only a fan of choices that I make and technologies that will support my values. 

Some say we got what we wanted, which may be true.

We of course love the idea of free speech, free market democratic society. We love the opportunity to share our views and opinions, the opportunity to sell our wares when and how we want. I can write these ideas freely. I can say whatever I want, to whoever I want. There is no going backward, so how about FORWARD? The cat is out of the box: everyone including children are watching beheadings and porn, playing violent video games and learning from influencers with no required credentials. Schools teach on screens, and some teachers and administrators are grateful they can plug kids in instead of dealing with classroom management in a class of 35 students. We can all get information from non professional journalism, non-peer reviewed opinions, uneducated influencers and bloggers. We can lie to each other and be lied to using fake information, fake pictures, and fake video. We are sold what we want at a faster and faster pace – our feeds less and less personal and more and more chopped, clipped, hyped and charged. Our technological knowledge must constantly evolve to keep up, and I don’t care how savvy or pro tech you are, it’s a lot to manage. Yeah for conveniences…boo for manipulating my life. 

The cell phone and other gadgets allow us to tune in, tune out and turn on alternative realities constantly shutting out the current interactions, opportunities and quiet moments that used to lead to spontaneous conversations and thoughts, noticing the world around us and being in the moment. People have plenty to avoid and escape from, of course. Endless challenges face people with few prospects and dire situations around the world. It is said that we have accepted this reality because it works, we like it, and we chose it. But most of us did not choose to spend hours organizing our duplicate photos in apps that compete for your storage needs, sifting through junk mail, managing apps, podcasts and quickly changing social media platforms. Did we choose to spend hours on hold working out repeating or added payments and support technicians, sales pitches and hidden costs and fees? Did we choose to have our children suffer depression and low self esteem because they are isolated and overwhelmed watching social media personalities and commercials, competing with school and family? Did we choose to have cell phones in our schools, overwhelming teachers and students with competition for time and influence? Did we choose to have updates that constantly update our phones and a throw away society filling our oceans and landfills with plastic and chemical trash? I didn’t choose that shit, although it is easy to feel ashamed and guilty for living in a society that provides convenience as the ultimate commodity. 

Maybe we did choose these things.

Maybe culture as a general trend has offered so little opportunity for positive learning and life experiences that we desperately sought alternative realities. Life was boring, school was meaningless, painful and sad, and we were heading toward a life of pointless labor and competitive social interactions. Our families did not provide examples of strong interpersonal skills or a secure support network, our educational system did not provide positive social or mental health education, our higher education did not offer practical skills or deep knowledge, but instead has become a source of debt and extended childhood. While the elite schools cater to the 1%, the majority receive a less than adequate education, often not graduating at all, leaving with daunting debt instead of growing into responsible adulthood and employment.

I don’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

I believe we all love the possibility for more ways to communicate, more connectivity to the larger world and to our friends and family in ways we choose. We greatly benefit from real time access to world events and multiple opinions and views of global and local events. Our society has benefited from more access to information, education and opportunities for distance learning and employment. In theory and probably in practice technology could cut down on fossil fuel use, paper and wasted resources. It could cut down on corruption and inequality. It could allow for grassroots activism and mobilizing social actions to help homeless, disabled and underserved people. Maybe it has done some of that. 

What if we had designed cell phones with our best selves in mind, with our best minds working on ways we can move toward a world of collaborative problem solving, equitable representation, and inclusive ideas and creativity. What if the goal of technology was a society of greater personal responsibility, community integrity, and individual well being? What if we had designed these things into the phone, and why isn’t anyone talking about where we went wrong? Obviously the cell phone has made things convenient. Shopping, information, and values that appeal to our desires and emotions. Some people learn more, access more diversity of information, connect with people and get support. Most people use the phone also to avoid boredom, anxiety, and affirm our beliefs, right or wrong. 

SOLUTIONS

1. A phone would be required to let the user choose how they saw information. Ads, marketing and everything would be optional. I choose ads in a separate window, I choose scrolling at what pace and no selling my information or collecting data. I choose privacy and payment is not based on my choices.
2. A phone would be required to inform the user in What if we had designed a phone that fact checked information, requiring posters to be reviewed and the validity of information rated? 

1. babysitters – a full cell phone is not for anyone under 16, and children receive kid phones that send emergency messages to parents with a variety of messages. It does not take pictures. 
2. avoid life – Scrolling is designed to support wellness and knowledge,