Apple has just released its most groundbreaking and evolved software yet in iOS 15, and as competitors adopt similar features, we ought to examine how the “ethical,” consumer-concerned features may further perpetuate the tech addiction that runs rampant in modern society.
If you’ve recently bought the newest iPhone, or updated your software, you’ll notice a variety of features that limit, track, and regulate your screen time and message notifications. I have utilized these new features and naturally transitioned to adopt them as part of my tech experience when I updated my device a month ago.
Users are overwhelmingly satisfied and enthusiastically supportive of this new software that Apple has proudly presented, as it suggests a device’s animate concern for the consumer’s health and relationship with technology.
While the intention is not up for debate, the ways in which our technology is evolving to limit its own role in the life of its users should be more threatening than comforting. This threat is rooted in technology’s increased capability to substitute for our innate human skills and behaviors.
While this reflects the initial discussion about the .com bubble ruining people’s ability to do research in books or patience to sit in a library, technology overcoming our need to self-regulate or practice discipline does not provide us any foreseeable long-term benefit, only risks.
The last decade has been flooded with exponentially quick technological innovation. These innovations have sparked frequent—usually seasonal—discourse about the long-term dangers of technology reliance and addiction. Criticisms from such discussions have fueled the introduction of new do-not-disturb technology as well as screen time metrics that help users track their phone utilization.
There is no doubt that these two features—adapted to their greatest extent in iOS 15—have helped users become personally aware of the dangers of screen-time addiction and encouraged them to unplug from their devices regularly. However, an externally-driven ability to “unplug” poses greater long-term risks to human’s will and self-discipline, especially with technology because the device employs and becomes responsible for the discipline that should live intrinsically within the user.
The first element to our own self-regulation of technology is awareness, which became present through the screen time metrics introduced in 2018 iPhone updates. This innovation was very impactful for users’ initial recognition of screen time, as many were appalled by their heavy device-use of 8-10 hours a day. However, it’s important to suggest that this was the first feature that presented the dilemma of technology working to regulate itself.
The second feature of tech self-regulation is automated, scheduled, and personalized do not disturb, app limits, and phone restrictions. This is where the user begins to rely on their technology “unplug” from them, instead of the user unplugging from their technology. Such a feature now provides a virtual environment where the user is no longer responsible for communicating their lack of availability, making conscious choices to withstand the urge of checking or replying to notifications instantly, leave their phone in a different room/space while they sleep.
Examples of features which regulate screen time are used on Netflix and almost all streaming services an apple iPhones and iPads, but are delayed on pc computers and cable television (even though there are apps or extensions that can be downloaded which perform similar tasks).
The widespread support of such “novel” metrics and tech addiction-aware innovations suggest that such features will become a mainstream element to all mediums of technology that we consume.
The main threat of the proliferation of this technology is that no matter how widely-adopted it becomes, humans still must have and practice their own self-discipline, regulation, and communication to mitigate the addictive tendencies that pose risk. As our reliance on tech-based usage regulation increases, the spaces that lack this automated discipline are even more susceptible for harmful consequences through addiction or overuse.
As I finish this essay with my phone protecting my productivity by means of “dark mode,” I propose that well-intentioned technology does not protect us from the harms that its novel and beloved features bear on our behavior.
I love this topic! I remember when you were brainstorming it during class and I became instantly intrigued by the exploration of tech regulating tech. Our lives have become incredibly reliant on the convenience of technology to the point where it is often not our first instinct to think about the irony of the new iOS update. Although technological innovation in all of its glory has allowed us to make major strides in everyday life, it has also become a crutch for our simple daily tasks and routines. We must continue to be vigilant by, as you mentioned, “practicing our own self-discipline, regulation, and communication.” We cannot become complacent to the threat of the proliferation of technology.
This truly felt like I was reading a professional Op-Ed! Great work with formatting as well as the content. I never thought of a “.com bubble” but you succinctly brought up very strong points within your argument and kept your reader with you the entire ride. Towards the end, some paragraphs ran long (there is no right or wrong but they could’ve been broken up for more of a punch) - if you want to include this in your revised portfolio, maybe try to break up some of the lengthier paragraphs. Another praise - I love the connections and comparisons you make with Apple’s IOS and technology outside of Apple, touching on the broader implications of these new features without…
First of all, I loved this phrase: "... it suggests a device’s animate concern for the consumer’s health and relationship with technology."
As I was reading this, I was considering the difference between thinking of tech "evolving" and thinking of actual human developers intentionally adding features. Obviously, we know it's the latter and not the former, but when watching features slowly improve and complexify (it's a word, I promise), one certainly gets that evolutionary feel. That's why the implication that a device was not only organic but sentient worked so well for me.
Then we come to the inorganic device made by organic humans negatively affecting other organic humans by eroding our self-control. I think this is a very interesting…
This is a very interesting topic you bring up and this blog post is very well written. I've never thought much about "Tech regulating Tech" but I definitely have been more aware of my phone usage as I am able to access my screen time. I think it is very important that tech allows you to be aware of how much time you spend on your phone. I think this is a very interesting topic to explore and could be expanded to other related topics such as the regulation of the internet.