Not a Proscription, A Framework
I am not advocating a set of behaviors. This is not a sure path to happiness. This is not your path to happiness. At best, this is a framework for deciding whether to allow a technology into a life or not.
- Notice the time suck.
- Is it actually convenient?
- Is the time suck justified?
- What are they selling?
Some app or service has been advertising a new feature, something about switching to them to eliminate the hassle of expiring credit and debit card numbers. Sure, a debit card expires, you have to log into every service and up date the info. It can eat an hour or two. It’s inconvenient. It’s a hassle.
But… It’s a hassle every few years. This advertised app is gonna syphon off your personal data for years. It’s building yet another profile. It’s yet another layer between you and a service. All to save supposedly save you an hour every few years. It reduces friction, but maybe, friction is good.