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The Death of Daydreaming

(www.afterbabel.com)
707 points isolli | 2 comments | 05 May 25 12:22 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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snozolli ◴[05 May 25 15:12 UTC] No.43895965[source]▶
Before smartphones and the Internet, I almost always had a paperback book to read. Bus rides were either me talking to friends (rare, since our schedule didn't match often), reading a book, or uncomfortably fighting the urge to doze off.

While, yes, social media gives us a more pronounced dopamine hit-and-crave cycle, we've always had means of escape at our fingertips.

replies(2): >>43896087 #>>43896539 #
kzrdude ◴[05 May 25 15:25 UTC] No.43896087[source]▶
It's worth comparing and contrasting. What changed and what stayed the same?
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1. snozolli ◴[05 May 25 19:10 UTC] No.43898367[source]▶
Changed: the ease of switching when restlessness kicks in. I have the Kindle app on my phone with several partially-read books in it. I can also pull up a browser tab at any moment. It takes some degree of effort to stay on-task in a single book, and it's probably analogous to meditation.

Same: escapism.

replies(1): >>43899149 #
2. Apocryphon ◴[05 May 25 20:30 UTC] No.43899149[source]▶
With digital pursuits it's easy to fall into FOMO anxiety cycles. The classic "stuck on the Netflix menu" conundrum. When you pay attention to it, you realize you're just kind of trying to minmax the ratio of enjoyment to boredom in one's escapism, which can't be a healthy way to treat leisure.