the nature of technology
When we say we want to “get out in nature,” what we really mean is that we want to get away from human nature. We want to escape who we are.
“Jay’s insights go beyond the usual advice to put your phone away. He helps us uncover the emotional needs beneath our compulsive tech habits and shows us how to reclaim our focus, relationships, and well-being. He also leads a meditation unlike anything I've ever experienced.”
—Scott Snibbe on How to Train a Happy Mind
(listen to the full episode here or try the follow-up meditation)
It’s been about a month since Reclaim Your Mind came out, and I’m celebrating by offering the eBook for $0.99 until March 27th! I won’t do this again, so if you’ve been sleeping on this, now’s your chance :) Here’s an excerpt from chapter 3 that’s special to me, because it’s the very first piece I wrote as a sample for the initial proposal. -JV
The Nature of Technology
When we get overwhelmed, we often say we want to “get out in nature” or go on a “nature walk,” but we are just as natural as the birds and the trees. So is the fly buzzing around your garbage can and the mold growing on old fruit. Nature is not somewhere out there. It’s everywhere. So where exactly are we trying to go?
We think of our modern lives as artificial, but is that really true? For the past two years, in the spring, a robin has built a nest on top of the light fixture beside my front door. Every time we step out of our home, she squawks to protect her hatchlings. My little boy and I love keeping tabs on Mrs. Robinson.
Inside the house holding up that nest, my family and I cook in a sophisticated kitchen and fiddle with temperature controls. We watch TV, use social media, play video games, and work on laptops. It all feels very different from a nest, but the way we source materials from our natural environment to build these modern lives is not so different from a bird gathering sticks, though certainly on a different scale.
It can be useful to reframe our technological wonders as natural. We imagine our civilization as somehow removed from the wild world. We love to think we’re special, but you probably accept that you are a part of nature. So why wouldn’t your nest be natural too, just like Mrs. Robinson’s?
If this feels off, you might be idealizing Mother Nature. Remember, she can be just as destructive as she can be harmonious. There is infinite wonder in the ocean, trees, and skies, but there are also viral infections, natural disasters, and predators killing their prey. When I describe our tech as natural, I’m certainly not saying it’s all good.
These days, we yell at our kids to put away their phones while lost in our own. We glance to check a text and end up scrolling for hours. We go down rabbit holes on social until we feel inadequate. We skim polarizing headlines until it feels like the world is on fire. We compulsively reply to work emails on our day off.
Some days we feel more used than user.
But tech is also beautiful, wonderful, and awe-inspiring. It connects us in ways previously thought impossible. It can bring us so much joy. It can help us be productive and organized. We can express ourselves like never before. I use it to stay in touch and collaborate with people across the planet. I use it to listen to and make music. And yes, I even use it to meditate.
You might love smartphones and the social internet. If that’s you, it can be hard to admit to the problems without getting defensive. Or you might be someone who hates the way your devices interfere with every moment. You might feel like they’re running your life—or worse, ruining your life. You might even notice how they’re causing harm to people you care about. If you’re the type who wants to escape and live on a mountain somewhere, it can be hard to admit how amazing technology can be.
Accepting tech as part of who we are means acknowledging that it’s not some foreign, alien invader. It’s neither good nor evil. It’s us. Even the AIs that seem more independent than ever before depend on the text and images we feed them. They don’t exist without us. The internet is a powerful extension of our minds. It amplifies our flaws as much as our strengths. To have a better relationship with technology, we need a better relationship with ourselves.
This is where the issue becomes spiritual.
Tech isn’t just nature, it’s human nature. And these days, it’s getting exhausting. With our minds constantly plugged in to amplifiers, it’s never been more important to find balance. Our tech mirrors our own values back at us in a distorted way, often causing the opposite effect of what we intend. It isolates us as much as it connects us. It numbs us as much as it inspires us. It bores us as much as it entertains us.
Sometimes we just want to run away from all the emails, feeds, and desperate pleas to like and subscribe. We want to escape the news. And social media. And online shopping and porn and video games and those group chats where everyone keeps misunderstanding each other. When we say we want to “get out in nature,” what we really mean is that we want to get away from human nature. We want to escape who we are.
Understandable. Our brains are plugged in to a billion other brains, each having tens of thousands of thoughts per day. Many organize to profit from all this, designing greedy, distracting, stressful apps—weapons of mass distraction. On the other hand, many also work to make the hive mind useful, fun, and powerful. Unfortunately, both sides produce a ton of unintended consequences.
Experts are studying technology’s effects on our mind, trying to regulate its use and establish standards for designing ethical, humane tech. Where does that leave the rest of us? What if you’re not a decision-maker? What if you don’t have any influence on science, government, media, or tech? Do you just have to sit and wait, hoping they figure it out? Of course not.
Our job is to become aware of how tech affects us and those we care about. We can choose to be better users of technology in everyday life. We can become more discerning about the tech we pay attention to, setting boundaries around apps that exploit us, but also unapologetically delighting in the experiences that bring us joy, improve our lives, and transform us for the better.
It feels like a big job, especially when compulsive screen time can feel completely out of our control. Tech companies can be manipulative. Unethical decision-makers need to face consequences. Still, there’s no need to give up and wait for someone to save you. With tech constantly demanding our attention and overwhelming us, your well-being is becoming more and more dependent on the quality of your relationship with it. If mindfulness has taught me anything, it’s that you always have a choice in how you relate to whatever you experience.