As seen on Mastodon:
I’m feeling more and more that smartphones are an enemy of creative thinking. If creativity requires boredom, a device that ensures you’re never bored is an effective barrier.
The internet is wonderful, but never being left to your own thoughts breeds conformity.
Ben Werdmuller
Werd, Ben1I swear I didn’t do this entire post just for this horrible bit of wordplay. But I maybe did just a little..
I’m not sure if I’d say the lack of boredom leads to conformity, per se, but I think it does dull the mind, and easy access to the internet 24/7 can train you to perpetually stimulate your brain, even if it’s with vacuous nonsense, which is found on the internet (and for most people via their smartphone) in quantities that are effectively endless. The smartphone makes it all the more insidious because of its ubiquity. Everyone has one, and it’s always right there on your person, in your pocket, or in your hand and…hey, put the phone down and look at me! Have you ever noticed how often people will take the slightest gap in a conversation as an opportunity to pull out their phone and start interacting with it? Think of those halcyon days of yore, where a few moments of thoughtful silence were just that.
Writer/artist Austin Kleon has written about the need for boredom as well: Boredom is a pit stop.
Being bored sometimes is good. Having a few minutes to just lose yourself in your own quiet thoughts is good. The next time you feel restless and pick up your phone, set it back down and give yourself a few minutes to just marinate in your own thoughts. You might come out of it pleasantly energized. And if you can’t set the phone down, maybe consider one of these.