APP-titude

Thanks, airyfairy. I tried to strike a balance between those that are useful and those that are frivolous. I have a few on my PC (including a useful one to limit my internet usage), but I have a dumb phone, so none on there. I think it came home to me what I'm missing (or free of!) when I was standing behind a woman in the Co-op who was desperately trying to find the right payment app for shopping, and she was scrolling through pages and pages of the things. I just though 'Why on earth would anyone need all of those?' I very nearly offered to pay for her bits with my card because she was taking so long. So much for tech making us more efficient!

Thanks for the apps! Sorry... I mean the cherries!  

Haha! Same here.

I think the progressive appification of our entire lives is the first stage in removing essential skills, initiative and knowledge, prepping us up for when AI walks in and takes over! 

I did succumb to a Kobo for reading - but principally because book covers, for some reason, set of my contact dermatitis. Late onset, so I'm guessing it's something in the inks. Glossy mags are gloves-on only!

Yes, it was meant to be only part humorous, part thought-provoking. I saw the interview with Isabelle - and my reaction was the same. As I said to a friend, 'Look what we've done to our kids. This is what we've turned them into.' I used to be fully supportive of bans - until I listened to Molly Russell's dad. And he's right. Bans won't work. The kids can get around them too easily. And it's too late to push that genie back in the bottle. What needs to happen is that the platform owners need to be held to account and forced to change their algorithms. But I doubt that will happen with the power and influence they have. Social media is a double-edged sword, but I'm coming more and more to believe that it's leading us too far the wrong way - especially with a certain very rich man owning one of the major ones and using it as a viral platform for certain views. Riots happen within hours or even minutes of viral posts. And we have another platform to thank for seeing flags flying from every lamp post up and down the country. I think it's dismal. When I was a kid, I did a bit of staring at the wall - but usually when I was daydreaming. There was too much to do otherwise. Reading, writing, playing games, going out. It's very sad. I know it sounds a bit absolutist, but I do think it's destroyed so much of what should be important about childhood.