Rebel developers are trying to cure our smartphone addiction — with an app

Rebel developers are trying to cure(kyo͝or) our smartphone addiction(əˈdikSHən) — with an app(ˌapliˈkāSHən)

By William(ˈwilyəm) Wan

To understand why it’s so hard to pry(prī) yourself free from your phone, Facebook account and Twitter(ˈtwitər), you need to know about B.F. Skinner’s(ˈskinər) pigeons(ˈpijən).

In the 1950s, Skinner began putting the birds in a box and training(ˈtrāniNG) them to peck(pek) on a piece(pēs) of plastic(ˈplastik) whenever they wanted food. Then the Harvard psychology(sīˈkäləjē) researcher rigged(rig) the system so that not every peck would yield(yēld) a tasty(ˈtāstē) treat(trēt). It became random — a reward every three pecks, then five pecks, then two pecks.

The pigeons went crazy(ˈkrāzē) and began pecking compulsively(kəmˈpəlsiv) for hours on end.

Fast forward six decades. We have become the pigeons pecking at our iPhones, scrolling(ˈskrōliNG) through news feeds, swiping left/right on Tinder for hours, the uncertainty(ˌənˈsərtntē) of what we might find keeping us obsessed(əbˈses) by design(dəˈzīn).

In the modern economy of tablets(ˈtablit) and apps, our attention(əˈtenCHən) has become the most valuable(ˈvaly(o͞o)əbəl) commodity(kəˈmäditē). Tech companies have armies(ˈärmē) of behavioral(biˈhāvyərəl) researchers whose sole(sōl) job is to apply principles like Skinner’s variable(ˈve(ə)rēəbəl) rewards to grab and hold our focus as often and long as possible.

But some people are starting to fight back. A small but growing number of behavioral scientists and former Silicon(-kən,ˈsiləˌkän) Valley(ˈvalē) developers have begun trying to counterprogram those news alerts(əˈlərt), friend requests and updates crowding our waking hours.

Increasingly, the rebel developers are using fire to fight fire — creating apps that try to put users back in control. They call their movement “digital wellness,” and in recent weeks, they scored two huge victories(ˈvikt(ə)rē) when Google and Apple announced plans to incorporate(ˈkôrp(ə)rət) some aspects(ˈaspekt) of digital-wellness apps — like allowing users to track(trak) their screen time — into upcoming Android(ˈanˌdroid) and iPhone operating(ˈäpəˌrāt) systems.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/rebel-developers-are-trying-to-cure-our-smartphone-addiction--with-an-app/2018/06/17/153e2282-6a81-11e8-bea7-c8eb28bc52b1_story.html