Simpler Screens ⇥ nazhamid.com
Prior to this, screens were large and encumbered. Classic TVs were housed in cabinets and were more furniture than centerpieces. They’ve become slimmer and larger over the decades but for the most part are still primarily active devices. One turns on a TV to watch something. A TV doesn’t necessarily reach out to you. It’s a consumption device. It generally is turned off.
Now, a small screen, or a larger one as a tablet, sits positioned. A phone is usually on, 24/7, 365 days a year. A person may choose to have it in a cradle propped up for display. Screens and battery have made it such that always-on is a feature, and no longer a decision. It acts as a supposed gateway to connection: access to the broader world as you know it.
This is a great piece, with a bunch of lovely ideas. There are plenty of people I know who say they want to use their phones less often, and have come up with techniques for making their phone time more intentional. If this does not describe you, that is fine; I have no judgement of anyone’s technology use unless their doing so puts me at risk. Please do not use your phone while driving.
These can be little changes, like keeping your phone in your bag or pocket in the elevator, or — as Hamid does — placing it face-down instead of face-up. One change I really appreciate is turning off my history on YouTube, which also blanks its homepage. Because I am logged out and, therefore, cannot see any subscriptions, this change means I need to deliberately search. It means my YouTube use becomes very specific. I never have any guilt about my time on YouTube, but I like the idea of making it an intentional decision instead of an idle one.