The Psychology of Technology

Addiction has many forms. Drugs or alcohol are the faces largely attributed to it in the past. If you've ever had to take a phone away from a teenager, you've seen one of the newest ones. Digital addiction is prevalent in a chronically online world. Gaming, social media, and parasocial relationships can all be looped under that umbrella. But, it would be impossible to say the internet is all bad. Though the scope is much narrower than just “technology,” Psychology of Technology does a great job balancing pros and cons of such a connected world. It also tries to provide solutions on how to tip the current situation more positive.

I always shock my students when I try to describe a life before internet prevalence and the pocket-sized portals we are all glued to. In less than three decades, instant online communication grew and changed our lives with such impact as the birth of motorized vehicles or maybe even the use of electricity itself. In some ways, the internet has gone even further because it's morphed beyond just a tool. It's helpful, but it's also become a source of division, disinformation, and replacement.

Accelerated by the pandemic, so much of our lives are conducted and preserved online instead of off. Like the author mentions more than once throughout the work, it's time to take a long look at what we can do to rein in some of that seep. To examine whether we've let what was meant to be a tool control us instead. If needed, that might mean pulling ourselves away from being chronically online. Instead of endlessly checking our feeds, we also need to focus on our offline selves and relationships.

The overall message of Psychology of Technology is strong. The comprehensive look at how much the internet and social media have permeated our lives and our thoughts is thorough. However, the message is often bogged down by how redundant much of the information is. I think the author is so ready to expand outward to the big picture that what's covered in later sections feels like a copy of when it's first discussed earlier on. I also would have liked a larger focus on how to have a healthier digital outlook, both on an individual and societal level.

Most people would benefit from reading Psychology of Technology, especially younger readers who don't know a “before.” With the rapid embrace of AI, I also can't think of many more relevant topics.