Are our smart phones psychologically ruining us? Have we crossed the line? We are looking at our phones several times an hour and most of the things that draw our attention are of little real value. We think our apps and search engines are opening up the world to us, but we now find that they are also delivering targeted ads and even questionable news feeds to us. Our world is becoming an echo chamber that benefits the large corporations and even some countries that sort, compile, and analyze our habits to improve their bottom line with little concern for any damage that is done to us. Buttons feed us everything except the truth. Our children are focused on their phones at the expense of real interactions with real people and are vulnerable to bullying and a warped world view. Cognitive psychology has become a high tech weapon. How do we push back while still retaining the real value and potential of this technology?
