Apple’s CEO Tim Cook has urged people to spend more time outdoors instead of looking at their smartphones... The irony wasn't lost on those staring at their screens.
Physician, heal thyself...
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Every week, there seems to be a new study on the negative impacts of technology on our lives, as we’re surrounded with daily reminders of quite how depressingly dependent we’ve become on our devices.
Smartphones aren’t just stress inducing – it has been proven that excessive screen time directly contributes to isolation, depression, anxiety, insomnia and more negative impacts on learning memory.
The dangers of screen time for children and adolescents are becoming widely recognized, and an increasing number of EU countries are starting to impose smartphone bans in schools, for instance. And for good reason, as further studies have shown that smartphones lead to low self-worth, aggression and even suicidal thoughts in children.
Surprisingly, the latest piece of "insight" comes from none other than Apple CEO Tim Cook, who has advocated for a scrolling break.
In an interview with Good Morning America, the 65-year-old executive discussed the importance of engaging with the world outside of a screen.
“I don’t want people using them too much,” Cook said of his company's smartphones. “I don’t want people looking at the smartphone more than they’re looking in someone’s eyes; as if they’re scrolling endlessly. This is not how you want to spend your day. Go out and spend it in nature.”
Sound advice if you want to avoid early neurodegeneration, but when the doomscroll device manufacturer urges you to stop scrolling, the jokes write themselves. It feels a bit like a drug dealer lecturing you on not getting hooked on drugs...
The interview, which aired earlier this month, has started to gain some traction online – once again highlighting the fact that we’re trapped in an infernal circle.
Check out some of the comments below:
The interview was part of the “celebrations” of Apple’s 50th anniversary and during the GMA segment, Cook reflected on Apple's most noteworthy moments, from “reinventing” music to popularizing the smartphone.
Many have pointed out that the interview aired on the same day Apple announced they were putting ads inside Apple Maps, reminding people that the man who helped build the smartphone economy is continuing to create and refine the very system that feeds negative impacts.
Additionally, some have pointed out that Cook is a Trump ally, who last year presented Donald Trump with a custom-made glass plaque with a gold base. Cook also recently attended a private screening of Melania at the White House, and his “log off and touch grass” comments come at a time when more transparency is demanded...
Once again, Cook’s suggestion is reasonable and people should be mindful about their smartphone usage. However, when the life advice comes from someone who is expected to release the next slate of new iPhones in September – including the rumoured first foldable model – the recommendation tends to feel like shallow virtue signalling wrapped up in PR.
The call is coming from inside the house, and maybe if Apple didn’t release iPhones en masse every year and instead focused on redesigning the very models that get people hooked in the first place – then and only then could Cook’s advice be considered insight.
Logging off.
