Modern Tech is Making Us Lazy

Humane tech can be the solution

Technology is so easy and accessible that a newborn child can poke around with more efficiency than a 40-year-old. All of the complexities and physical constraints have been removed. There is almost no need for peripherals—all you need are your fingers, but even those are used less in lieu of voice. The act of using technology required effort, skill, and knowledge. Now we have simplified it so much that it is making us lazy.

The act of using modern technology was a skill. You learned it, honed it, mastered it. Now designers, product managers, researchers, and software engineers aim to simplify it so much that the tech can be used by anyone. If you add in the increasing implementations of AI, we will essentially not have to know how to use consumer-grade technology at all; it'll just work. The Ready Player One and Wall-E style realities are coming, if not already here for some.

Some tech promotes activity, gamifying our lives. Tech like the Apple Watch, Fitbit, and Oura Ring tell us to get off our asses and achieve goals. This is not true for most of our tech. We use our phones to order food, transportation, and physical goods. We talk to our voice assistants to turn things on and off, to add reminders to lists, and to take notes. Recently, I heard a family member say, "be right back, I'll have AI do my work and call you back." They called back 10 minutes later.

You might be excited for this world. You hear of and use these conveniences, with the promises of saving time, but what are you doing in that saved time? Are you using it to go outside, to hang with friends or family, or better yet—relax? Probably not. You are probably spending your time doom scrolling, trolling comments, or hustling your face off at your job.

What if we simply treated technology as harder than it is? What if we set global constraints that were once inherent in using tech, about 20 years ago?

In my opinion, peak tech was 2008-2012. Laptops were small enough, desktops were powerful enough, and phones had physical keyboards and basic web browsers. The perfect phone was and will always be the BlackBerry Bold 9700. There was enough simplicity and access, with just enough limitations and constraints.

It should be no surprise that we humans are the most depressed, least connected, and least adjusted for life that we have ever been. What are people doing to try to solve this issue? Build AI companions.

How can we use tech and live a more humane life? I propose setting the year 2010 as a constraint, to foster a more humane life. I'm calling it humane tech.

Humane Tech

The purpose of humane tech is simple: use technology to support a healthy life. This does not mean buy a fitness tracker or download a water tracking app. It simply means setting constraints that allow you to use technology that supports an intentional life, not control you.

To do this effectively, I recommend using one simple concept as a litmus test: how would I do this if it was still 2010?

Considering that was 14 years ago and some of you might be too young to recall that time with great detail, here are some examples.

• Desktop computers were still common in most households.

• Laptop batteries lasted 2-5 hours, max.

• The iPad was just released.

• Smartphones just got the ability to multitask.

• Phones had cameras, but they were only 3 megapixels. People carried point-and-shoot cameras to special events.

• Smartwatches were still skunkworks projects.

• Social networks were timeline based, not algorithm based.

• Infinite scroll was just brought to Twitter. Oh, and Twitter was Twitter.

• Most people still had home phones.

Using this concept, we can turn our use of technology on its head. We can use it more humanely. Here is how you could approach some pretty common tasks that we rely on technology for.

• Don't ask Alexa to order toilet paper. Add it to a list and buy it at the store, in person.

• Rather than ordering Door Dash, and getting that cold, back seat takeout—go to the restaurant and eat it the way it was intended. Be around strangers.

• Instead of doing admin tasks every second of the day, write them down and do them at your computer, on a desk, all at once—not on the toilet or couch while watching TV.

• When you are doing research, don't rely on AI by default. Sit at your desk, focus, and go down the messy rabbit hole that is the internet.

• When you are feeling overwhelmed or anxious, do not grab your phone and scroll, take a walk and leave your phone at home.

I am not telling you to abandon tech. That's not reasonable at all. I am recommending you simply filter your relationship with it, through the constraint of a period in time. A period with technology, readily available to all, but harder to use. That friction will give you the tools you need, but the humanity you crave.

P.S.: If you liked this letter, you'll love this piece from Joan Westenberg: I'm Entering My Curmudgeon Era