In today's world, you'd have to be looking at your phone all the time not to notice that people are looking at their phones all the time.
Some proud device owners are so enamored of their digital companions that even crossing a busy street doesn't merit a little look-see at the 3-D world. Last year, when it came to playing Pokémon Go, driving a car or walking toward a cliff didn't rate everyone's full attention, either.
Recently, Tristan Harris, a former “design ethicist” at Google, has been on a crusade of sorts calling out big companies like Facebook, Google and Apple for using behavioral techniques and neuroscience to keep you clicking, texting and scrolling in ways that foster compulsivity.
The issue is starting to get a lot of media attention — last month, “60 Minutes” ran a segment on it with Harris and other tech insiders. That was followed by the comedian and tele-muckraker Bill Maher addressing the subject in one of his HBO commentaries.
“The tycoons of social media have to stop pretending that they're friendly nerd-gods building a better world, and admit they're just tobacco farmers in t-shirts selling an addictive product to children,” Maher opined. “Because let's face it, checking your ‘likes' is the new smoking.”