IMO the big thing is not being bored. Someone is late for a meeting? Doesn't matter, you've got HN to read. On the back seat for a long drive? Doesn't matter, you can answer emails. Or play a game.
The whole psychologically weird phase of "hmm I'm here and waiting, and all I can do is watch paint dry" seems to have vanished.
I'm not sure what people prefer more though. Say you're waiting for a date, do you feel best breaking off directly from your reading of the dragon book, or would you feel best just doing nothing until they showed up?
I've been intentionally cutting things like TV or internet out of my life at certain times, and can definitively say I'd rather be bored. All these things I tell myself I want to do are actually not that hard when I'm bored. Writing, drawing, having more conversations with loved ones. It's a lot easier when I can't say "let's watch the new episode while we eat" or "I'll surf HN for a bit." The boredom builds until it finds release, eventually being high enough to do the things I actually want to spend my time on.
If all I can do is watch paint dry, I'll find something else, whether it's rewarding or just mindless dopamine.
That said, I'm totally addicted and cutting out the internet is extremely hard when I sit in front of it for work and my computer and phone are where a lot of the rewarding things are too (e.g. cell phone drains time, but you need it to text friends). I feel like an alcoholic working as a bartender also required to take just a teeny sip of whiskey every time I talk to someone.
> The whole psychologically weird phase of "hmm I'm here and waiting, and all I can do is watch paint dry" seems to have vanished.
I dunno. Infinite scrolling sure feels like watching paint dry to me... but as a teenager my idea of a good time was finding an isolated bit of woods, and sitting still enough for the fauna to ignore me. Actually, that's still my idea of a good time, but I'm too busy and the woods anywhere nearby are too crowded.
I miss being bored. I used to go out of character and explore things when I got bored, now I don't remember the last time when I was bored for prolonged time.
I mean I get bored of a game or an article etc. but I would immediately seek refuge in something else that is easy to reach.
Before constant connectivity, I would have attempt to cure my boredom in much more hardcore ways.
People weren't necessarily "bored"-- remember that the boredom one feels when not hyper stimulated is due, at least in part, to adaptation to their peak/typical stimulus.
People probably got sufficient dopamine, from "less exciting" things such as small talk, looking at the clouds, contemplating the meaning of their life while waiting for an interview to begin etc.
As someone with ADHD, this has been the most advantageous change for me. Another things I can do now is play a game on my phone during meetings - it may be counter-intuitive to others, but occupying my visual cortex and hands with a simple game allows me to pay attention to what someone is saying without having my mind wander.
After getting vaccinated I was sitting in the waiting area, for the 15 minutes our suppose to stay, in case you get an allergic reaction and I noticed that most people where NOT looking at their phones. They where just sitting, doing nothing. I did the same, and honestly, it was absolutely wonderful just to have 15 minutes where you did nothing.
I'm not saying I wouldn't get bored just waiting for extended periods of time, but sometimes it's nice to know that for the next 10 - 20 minutes, you just have to exist in this spot, and that's all that's really expected of you.
When I go to the gym I don't bring my phone with me, and when I am resting in-between sets I just sit there. Sometimes my mind will wander, but often I just sit there and my mind is pretty much blank. I find it very relaxing.
I do like having a timer and gym log built in my phone. But +1 to not always having content streaming. Turning off music + youtube gives my mind a break.
> "hmm I'm here and waiting, and all I can do is watch paint dry" seems to have vanished.
Theres several influencers whose whole bit is centered around mixing paint, and I don't know how many channels on youtube dedicated to the sound it makes when you cut sand with a knife. So don't despair, I'm absolutely certain there is a channel out there dedicated to watching paint dry, on demand in byte size vids with tons of userengagement, for those long drives when you just want to pull the plug and watch paint dry.
This reminded me of Sitting and Smiling [0]. It's just a dude sitting there for hours and smiling. Once a burglar actually entered his home and was scared of by, well, nothing, so I guess it checks the user engagement part, too ;)
What I've been enjoying lately is purposely not taking my phone off when I have a minute or two to kill. Just look around, think about things, it's very relaxing to me.
I do remember however being bored to hell as a teenager, I would not want to live in that world, I really hated it.
"Apathy's a tragedy and boredom is a crime" - Welcome to the Internet by Bo Burnham[1]
This new song from Bo's covid-lockdown inspired special "Inside" hits this right on head. The Internet, particularly when paired with mobile devices just tries to suck up so much attention, because that's exactly what we made it do.
I've read far too many cereal boxes and shampoo bottles in my lifetime. Instead of getting annoyed at my unexpected 10 minute wait somewhere, I can just play a game. So many minor annoyances, gone due to the little pocket miracle. I can always choose not to pick it up, after all, but at least I have the choice now.
The whole psychologically weird phase of "hmm I'm here and waiting, and all I can do is watch paint dry" seems to have vanished.
I'm not sure what people prefer more though. Say you're waiting for a date, do you feel best breaking off directly from your reading of the dragon book, or would you feel best just doing nothing until they showed up?