Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Here's Why Google's New 'Smartphone Addiction' Features Aren't Based on Science

As the article points out the research on "internet depression" is is not very robust. On the other hand the obsessive/compulsive checking behavior is observable anywhere, anytime.
Different neurotransmitters.

From BI via ScienceAlert:
Google wants you to stop using the term FOMO.

Instead of complaining about your fear of missing out, the search engine giant would like you to celebrate – "JOMO," the joy of missing out. And it hopes a bunch of new features geared at preventing you from feeling addicted to your devices will help.

It's all part of an initiative that Google unveiled at this week's Google I/O developer conference called "Digital Wellbeing".
Intended to free Android users from the tether of their smartphones, the strategy includes features that allow users to do things like track the time they spend on social media, block distracting notifications, and make their screens less vibrant around bedtime.

But it's a big question whether the strategy will actually do any good. The features don't have much basis in science.

Dashboard tells you how often you check your phone
Google Dashboard
One of the primary new features in the Digital Wellbeing initiative is called Dashboard.
Dashboard shows you how frequently you check your phone or tablet, how much time you spend overall on your devices, and even how much time you spend within individual apps such as Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram.

Dashboard appears to be a reaction to the spate of recent stories that suggest that spending time on social media is universally bad for us.

Some of those reports have claimed that Facebook and Instagram in particular are making us depressed and even "eroding" our brains....MUCH MORE