Remember that delicious feeling of letting your mind float away like a lazy cloud on a summer afternoon? No? That's because your phone has murdered your capacity for wanderlust and buried it in a shallow grave marked "increased engagement metrics."
Christine Rosen's essay in After Babel on the death of daydreaming examines what we've sacrificed at the altar of constant stimulation.
Time was, we'd fill those precious gaps between activities with whatever thoughts our brains spun up. Now? We're all compulsive slot machine addicts, frantically pulling the social media lever every time we have 15 seconds to spare.
Our ancestors had worry beads. We have Twitter. They had contemplation. We have TikTok. They had imagination. We have Instagram. Ninety-five percent of teens have smartphones, half are online "almost constantly," and even grandma's spending her golden years doom-scrolling through digital hellscapes.
The worst part? We're not just killing time – we're murdering our capacity for creativity, empathy, and basic human patience. Your phone isn't just a distraction machine; it's a lobotomy you willingly perform on yourself 300 times a day.
Next time you're tempted to reach for that digital pacifier while waiting for your latte, try this revolutionary act instead: absolutely nothing. Let your mind wander. Who knows? You might accidentally have an original thought.
Previously:
• Hong Kong hosts 9th annual International Daydreaming Competition
• Daydreaming brains are afire
• The right way to daydream
