Ruminations on our relationship with technology
Recommended Reading on this site includes scientific writing that gives valuable insights about our relationship with technology.
Select a book review or synopsis below that piques your interest in the genre of scientific writing below.
What’s the difference between nudging vs. manipulating? Summary: It’s no secret that products, services, and technologies are designed to influence people’s decisions—sometimes known as ‘nudging’ people. But how is nudging people different from manipulating them? Is there a difference between nudging vs. manipulating? Ideas from the book ‘Nudge’ can shed light on that question. A … Read more
How can smartphones and social media affect mental health? Since the 2010s, the U.S. and several other countries have seen troubling trends in psychological well-being. For instance, rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide have risen significantly, especially among adolescents and young adults. Why are we seeing this overall decline in mental health? Well, one … Read more
Fire and cooking technology … and the dawn of humanity! Fire and cooking technology … and the dawn of humanity! What on earth could these things have to do with one another? Well, when it comes to thinking about our evolutionary origins, there’s an intriguing theory developed by the primatologist Richard Wrangham. And this theory … Read more
Synopsis of Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less From Each Other Self-ordering kiosks in restaurants. Self-checkout machines at stores. Self-driving vehicles on the road. Year by year, an unstoppable trend appears to be gaining traction across multiple industries: automation. It’s clear what the economic consequences of automation will be: robots will … Read more
The science of expertise vs. ‘talent’ Anders Ericsson is a psychologist who studies how people acquire expert skill and knowledge. It’s research known as the science of expertise. (Notice we say expertise and not talent—we’ll soon see why.) Basically, Ericsson is an expert on how to become an expert. In a book written with mathematician … Read more
From the Internet paradox to the village effect The British sitcom The IT Crowd once ran a hilarious episode about a fictional social networking site called “Friendface” (a parody of social media like Facebook). “Isn’t it great the way Friendface brings people together,” says Jen, one of the main characters of the show. However, contrary … Read more
Rise of the second machine age Whether or not technological innovation is good for our working lives has been debated since Plato condemned the invention of writing for ruining human memory. Unlike Plato, however, we’re not dealing with tools like pen and paper. Now we’re dealing with machines. In the past, our ancestors lived through … Read more
Proust and the Squid: Maryanne Wolf on the science of reading It’s uncontroversial to say we humans evolved to eat and reproduce. But it would be ridiculous to argue we evolved to read or write—even though reading and writing are clearly consequences of our evolution. So how did we end up with these abilities? Maryanne … Read more
Research on Internet Generation, or iGen How do smartphones and social media affect the minds and lives of today’s youth? More parents and teachers began asking this question after the first iPhone came out in 2007, just a year after Facebook opened to everyone 13 and older. Since then, most teens have never known a … Read more