We are fed pabulum laced with little hits of instant gratification
April 26, 2022 4:31 PM Subscribe
Composer and musician Gabriel Kahane's essay, In Defense of Friction is a thought-provoking manifesto that advocates getting rid of your smartphone. Only the first third is about music. (previously)
Technology companies depend on our embrace of this myth, for a loss of faith would signal an existential threat to the devices’ manufacturers, and to all the software makers whose products depend on our fanatical devotion to convenience at all costs.Preach it, brother.
And so it is that we are, minute by minute, fed pabulum laced with little hits of instant gratification, Huxley’s Soma to keep us dazed and obedient.
posted by flabdablet at 6:50 PM on April 26, 2022 [7 favorites]
tl; dr: Guy publishing essays on the internet, selling music on the internet, and promoting himself on instagram, twitter, tumblr, and facebook drops by to sniff at us and tell us we spend too much time on the internet.
posted by Sing Or Swim at 7:27 PM on April 26, 2022 [25 favorites]
posted by Sing Or Swim at 7:27 PM on April 26, 2022 [25 favorites]
I'll give you the credit that perhaps you don't know this artist or his work, but he's actually pretty interesting and introspective. He lived in LA for a while and did an album where every song was about an address in LA and the story it had to tell. Here's the story of 9127 S. Figueroa St, where a black girl was shot for stealing a bottle of orange juice. It may not be quite what you're expecting from someone who just drops by to sniff at people, but it is a really good song.
posted by hippybear at 7:37 PM on April 26, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by hippybear at 7:37 PM on April 26, 2022 [3 favorites]
drops by to sniff at us and tell us we spend too much time on the internet.
well, that's a little friction, so something's working
posted by philip-random at 8:03 PM on April 26, 2022 [12 favorites]
well, that's a little friction, so something's working
posted by philip-random at 8:03 PM on April 26, 2022 [12 favorites]
His songs are quite nice, and I'm sure he's a lovely person. I didn't really think I SHAT on the poor guy, for heaven's sake, I just didn't like his essay. It comes off, IMO, as privileged and self-congratulatory. Most people don't have smartphones because they're "addicted to convenience", they have smartphones because smartphones help you find and keep your damn job, and arrange and show up for occasional medical appointments that you decide maybe you can afford because you have a damn job. The idea that life is too convenient is, to put it mildly, not what most people are experiencing. That said, the songs are delightful, and I certainly don't mean anything personal about some guy who you know and I don't.
posted by Sing Or Swim at 8:04 PM on April 26, 2022 [34 favorites]
posted by Sing Or Swim at 8:04 PM on April 26, 2022 [34 favorites]
"Guy publishing essays on the internet [...] drops by to sniff at us and tell us we spend too much time on the internet."
Well, don't we?
and arrange and show up for occasional medical appointments
When people say we spend too much time on the internet, do they mean we waste too much time arranging medical appointments?
posted by AlSweigart at 8:25 PM on April 26, 2022 [6 favorites]
Well, don't we?
and arrange and show up for occasional medical appointments
When people say we spend too much time on the internet, do they mean we waste too much time arranging medical appointments?
posted by AlSweigart at 8:25 PM on April 26, 2022 [6 favorites]
They mean metafilter
posted by Wood at 9:00 PM on April 26, 2022 [14 favorites]
posted by Wood at 9:00 PM on April 26, 2022 [14 favorites]
From TFA:
The skeptic might respond: “most people’s lives are already chockablock with friction and tedium. These are often functions of poverty. The whole premise of your argument is distasteful. And besides, the pace of my job and the demands of family life will not accommodate additional friction.”posted by Monochrome at 10:00 PM on April 26, 2022 [17 favorites]
All of this seems eminently reasonable. But permit me to push back. First, I’d say that I have a fairly specific audience in mind for this ode to friction: people of economic means whose online activities have a disproportionate impact on labor and the environment.
The internet, social media in particular, is designed to be as addictive as possible, using the same kinds of psychological tricks that casinos use to addict gamblers. Insidiously it is now also a tool that is now necessary for modern life (especially for artists who have to participate in the attention economy to make rent).
Embracing friction is, I think, meant as a way to wean oneself off of the addictive drip feed of information by remembering that there are other ways to get that joy of discovery, ways that will lead you into wilder and more interesting territory than an algorithmic recommendation engine ever will.
I do acknowledge that it is hard to read an essay like this and not come away with the impression of "oh it's another 'the kids these days are always on their damn phones' articles," but I did find that the message resonates with me. If I didn't work in IT and need the internet to do my job I'd seriously consider downgrading to a regular phone or turning off the internet at my house for a while to try to break some of these bad habits. I suspect a similar contradiction between needing to interact with these systems to survive and wanting to put them down and live in an idealized simpler time fueled this essay.
"Hey, we're all drinking from a cesspool. I can't go anywhere else but if you can you should"
posted by JDHarper at 10:06 PM on April 26, 2022 [10 favorites]
Embracing friction is, I think, meant as a way to wean oneself off of the addictive drip feed of information by remembering that there are other ways to get that joy of discovery, ways that will lead you into wilder and more interesting territory than an algorithmic recommendation engine ever will.
I do acknowledge that it is hard to read an essay like this and not come away with the impression of "oh it's another 'the kids these days are always on their damn phones' articles," but I did find that the message resonates with me. If I didn't work in IT and need the internet to do my job I'd seriously consider downgrading to a regular phone or turning off the internet at my house for a while to try to break some of these bad habits. I suspect a similar contradiction between needing to interact with these systems to survive and wanting to put them down and live in an idealized simpler time fueled this essay.
"Hey, we're all drinking from a cesspool. I can't go anywhere else but if you can you should"
posted by JDHarper at 10:06 PM on April 26, 2022 [10 favorites]
First, I’d say that I have a fairly specific audience in mind for this ode to friction: people of economic means whose online activities have a disproportionate impact on labor and the environment.
Sounds more like an ode to not being a rich entitled dick.
posted by howfar at 10:49 PM on April 26, 2022 [3 favorites]
Sounds more like an ode to not being a rich entitled dick.
posted by howfar at 10:49 PM on April 26, 2022 [3 favorites]
Thanks for posting, appreciated reading this!
posted by dusty potato at 10:55 PM on April 26, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by dusty potato at 10:55 PM on April 26, 2022 [1 favorite]
Am I the only one who would like to see a little less friction on the internet?
A frequently visited web site has logged you out again, even though you have checked the "remember me" box. Click here to log in. Forgot your password? Click here to have a link sent to the email address you used when you signed up, years ago. Don't know how to log in to that email account any more? Click on all the pictures containing bikes. Here are two more hoops just for the fun of it, please jump through them before we let you in.
Click here to accept cookies. No, there's no "deny all" alternative, if you want to say no to all cookies you have to untick a dozen boxes. Please update your software first; click here to restart your computer after updating. And so on ...
I find the web much slower and frustrating than it used to be.
posted by Termite at 3:27 AM on April 27, 2022 [15 favorites]
A frequently visited web site has logged you out again, even though you have checked the "remember me" box. Click here to log in. Forgot your password? Click here to have a link sent to the email address you used when you signed up, years ago. Don't know how to log in to that email account any more? Click on all the pictures containing bikes. Here are two more hoops just for the fun of it, please jump through them before we let you in.
Click here to accept cookies. No, there's no "deny all" alternative, if you want to say no to all cookies you have to untick a dozen boxes. Please update your software first; click here to restart your computer after updating. And so on ...
I find the web much slower and frustrating than it used to be.
posted by Termite at 3:27 AM on April 27, 2022 [15 favorites]
metafilter: They mean metafilter
posted by From Bklyn at 3:57 AM on April 27, 2022 [11 favorites]
posted by From Bklyn at 3:57 AM on April 27, 2022 [11 favorites]
when somebody living in the modern world goes without a smartphone, it’s like Walden going to the woods - and waiting for his mother to ring the bell for dinner. I’m not saying Kahane is wrong, but going without the tools available from smartphone use is strictly for the privileged, and makes you a burden on the people around you. Not only that, but it doesn’t solve the problems of inequality- the herniated warehouse worker is still there - but the smartphone-less is now too occupied finding paper maps to remember that struggle.
Also, if Kahane did have a smartphone he might know that spätzle is a southern Germany speciality. More Austrian, really. Going to Hamburg and looking for spätzle is like me going to Atlanta and asking for Poutine.
posted by The River Ivel at 3:59 AM on April 27, 2022 [13 favorites]
Also, if Kahane did have a smartphone he might know that spätzle is a southern Germany speciality. More Austrian, really. Going to Hamburg and looking for spätzle is like me going to Atlanta and asking for Poutine.
posted by The River Ivel at 3:59 AM on April 27, 2022 [13 favorites]
Mmmmm poutine…
I do suffer from crippling smartphone addiction so his point to take time away from it is well noted. I think complete abstention is near impossible at this point, but leaving it at home for hangouts or certain things is well worth it.
posted by glaucon at 4:10 AM on April 27, 2022 [2 favorites]
I do suffer from crippling smartphone addiction so his point to take time away from it is well noted. I think complete abstention is near impossible at this point, but leaving it at home for hangouts or certain things is well worth it.
posted by glaucon at 4:10 AM on April 27, 2022 [2 favorites]
Here in Amsterdam, I have a hundred great restaurants serving all types of food within easy walking or biking distance. And yet the streets are crowded with food delivery drivers.
Who are these people who can't take a moment from their day to take a nice walk or bike ride through a beautiful town and get their own food, I wonder, and instead push a button on their phone so some underpaid worker can bring it to them instead? Perhaps thats what Kahane means.
One of my family members rarely leaves his house. He has almost daily Amazon orders delivered, gets food delivery and spends a lot of his time playing video games. Perhaps thats what Kahane is railing against. But if so, its not the smartphone, which is just a tool. It is as others have pointed out, these online addictions that have such a hold on us. And it is good to recognize them.
On the subject of spätzle and Hamburg: I had amazing spätzle in Hamburg it turns out, at a place called Zum Spätzle right in the city center! It was really perfect and obviously made with great care and the place is really tiny and cute. (Sorry The River Ivel!! This doesn't undermine your point which is true.)
posted by vacapinta at 4:22 AM on April 27, 2022 [7 favorites]
Who are these people who can't take a moment from their day to take a nice walk or bike ride through a beautiful town and get their own food, I wonder, and instead push a button on their phone so some underpaid worker can bring it to them instead? Perhaps thats what Kahane means.
One of my family members rarely leaves his house. He has almost daily Amazon orders delivered, gets food delivery and spends a lot of his time playing video games. Perhaps thats what Kahane is railing against. But if so, its not the smartphone, which is just a tool. It is as others have pointed out, these online addictions that have such a hold on us. And it is good to recognize them.
On the subject of spätzle and Hamburg: I had amazing spätzle in Hamburg it turns out, at a place called Zum Spätzle right in the city center! It was really perfect and obviously made with great care and the place is really tiny and cute. (Sorry The River Ivel!! This doesn't undermine your point which is true.)
posted by vacapinta at 4:22 AM on April 27, 2022 [7 favorites]
I'm staying by the NJ turnpike for several weeks for some medical stuff, and the closest coffee I can walk to is technically a Starbucks about half a mile away. I say technically because the walk involves a lot of unprotected medians and an intersection with sidewalks & lights indicating pedestrians are imagined to travel parallel to, but never across, a 6 lane highway. It's by far the most walker-hostile place I've ever lived, and it gives me much more sympathy for the effect of location on the friction/reward available when you put down your smartphone.
posted by heyforfour at 5:34 AM on April 27, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by heyforfour at 5:34 AM on April 27, 2022 [2 favorites]
I used my smartphone to try and figure out what Brian Wilson song he expected me to automagically know about.
posted by srboisvert at 7:19 AM on April 27, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by srboisvert at 7:19 AM on April 27, 2022 [3 favorites]
God only knows what I'd be without it.
posted by flabdablet at 7:41 AM on April 27, 2022 [11 favorites]
posted by flabdablet at 7:41 AM on April 27, 2022 [11 favorites]
I used my smartphone to try and figure out what Brian Wilson song he expected me to automagically know about.
purity test: failed
posted by elkevelvet at 8:16 AM on April 27, 2022
purity test: failed
posted by elkevelvet at 8:16 AM on April 27, 2022
I used my smartphone to try and figure out what Brian Wilson song he expected me to automagically know about.
HINT: it's the one that's an embedded Youtube video at the end of his post.
tl; dr: Guy publishing essays on the internet, selling music on the internet, and promoting himself on instagram, twitter, tumblr, and facebook drops by to sniff at us and tell us we spend too much time on the internet.
I would encourage people to read the other post of his that he linked to where he says "I wrote earlier about the ripple effect of social media posts by celebrities.", Social Media and its Discontents.
Also, read the comments on this piece, where he's posted a good followup point:
I agree that there are ways of mitigating the more invasive aspects of our digital paradigm if our footprint is largely that of a consumer; when you're primarily a creator, I think it's a bit different. Everything we post implicates others, sometimes many, many others. And the point that I'm mostly trying to drive home is that it's some combination of fear, greed, and inertia—or just a dogmatic embrace of the notion that career growth is an axiomatic prerequisite for fulfillment—that compels many who are already doing extremely well to use these platforms that I think are, on balance, damaging to society.
He's clear and upfront about who he's talking to (and about), and it's not people struggling to make medical appointments on the internet; it's aimed at the folks who are spending 3 hours a day writing books/creating music/painting/sculpting/whatever, and 5 hours a day promoting their books/music/paintings/sculpture on social media. Slamming him because he's an elitist hypocrite who's selling content on the Internet while talking about how unhealthy the Internet is, is to badly misunderstand where he's coming from.
Anyways, thank you for posting this, eotvos.
posted by mstokes650 at 8:30 AM on April 27, 2022 [10 favorites]
HINT: it's the one that's an embedded Youtube video at the end of his post.
tl; dr: Guy publishing essays on the internet, selling music on the internet, and promoting himself on instagram, twitter, tumblr, and facebook drops by to sniff at us and tell us we spend too much time on the internet.
I would encourage people to read the other post of his that he linked to where he says "I wrote earlier about the ripple effect of social media posts by celebrities.", Social Media and its Discontents.
Also, read the comments on this piece, where he's posted a good followup point:
I agree that there are ways of mitigating the more invasive aspects of our digital paradigm if our footprint is largely that of a consumer; when you're primarily a creator, I think it's a bit different. Everything we post implicates others, sometimes many, many others. And the point that I'm mostly trying to drive home is that it's some combination of fear, greed, and inertia—or just a dogmatic embrace of the notion that career growth is an axiomatic prerequisite for fulfillment—that compels many who are already doing extremely well to use these platforms that I think are, on balance, damaging to society.
He's clear and upfront about who he's talking to (and about), and it's not people struggling to make medical appointments on the internet; it's aimed at the folks who are spending 3 hours a day writing books/creating music/painting/sculpting/whatever, and 5 hours a day promoting their books/music/paintings/sculpture on social media. Slamming him because he's an elitist hypocrite who's selling content on the Internet while talking about how unhealthy the Internet is, is to badly misunderstand where he's coming from.
Anyways, thank you for posting this, eotvos.
posted by mstokes650 at 8:30 AM on April 27, 2022 [10 favorites]
it's aimed at the folks who are spending 3 hours a day writing books/creating music/painting/sculpting/whatever, and 5 hours a day promoting their books/music/paintings/sculpture on social media
That seems elitist as well, given the reality that we're stuck with a system that pretty much requires those 5 hours of promotion to actually make money doing creative work. Yes the system sucks, but as far as individual behavior goes the alternative to scrounging for a living on the internet is to leave creative arts to the independently wealthy.
posted by ilikemefi at 11:01 AM on April 27, 2022 [3 favorites]
That seems elitist as well, given the reality that we're stuck with a system that pretty much requires those 5 hours of promotion to actually make money doing creative work. Yes the system sucks, but as far as individual behavior goes the alternative to scrounging for a living on the internet is to leave creative arts to the independently wealthy.
posted by ilikemefi at 11:01 AM on April 27, 2022 [3 favorites]
when somebody living in the modern world goes without a smartphone, it’s like Walden going to the woods - and waiting for his mother to ring the bell for dinner. I’m not saying Kahane is wrong, but going without the tools available from smartphone use is strictly for the privileged, and makes you a burden on the people around you.
It's estimated that in the US 15% of adults don't have smart phones. Unless I botched the math, that works out to be about 38 million people. In a population that size I think you'll find a whole spectrum of reasons why they don't have phones, with only some fraction being burdensome derisable dilettantes.
posted by wordless reply at 12:04 PM on April 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
It's estimated that in the US 15% of adults don't have smart phones. Unless I botched the math, that works out to be about 38 million people. In a population that size I think you'll find a whole spectrum of reasons why they don't have phones, with only some fraction being burdensome derisable dilettantes.
posted by wordless reply at 12:04 PM on April 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
In a population that size I think you'll find a whole spectrum of reasons why they don't have phones, with only some fraction being burdensome derisable dilettantes.
Out of curiosity, I looked it up. 85% is correct, but above $50k in income is higher than 90%, and below less than 80%. Also, more curiously, more women have a cellphone, but more men have a smartphone, by a percent or two in each category.
Below age 50, it's ~95% percent have a smartphone, older than that, and it falls off.
posted by The_Vegetables at 12:54 PM on April 27, 2022
Out of curiosity, I looked it up. 85% is correct, but above $50k in income is higher than 90%, and below less than 80%. Also, more curiously, more women have a cellphone, but more men have a smartphone, by a percent or two in each category.
Below age 50, it's ~95% percent have a smartphone, older than that, and it falls off.
posted by The_Vegetables at 12:54 PM on April 27, 2022
but leaving it at home for hangouts or certain things is well worth it.
I generally bring my cell with me outside of home only when I'm expecting someone to contact me. Not just in case somebody might want to contact me. It's a good system. For me anyway. You sort of train people not to expect you to always be there ready for them. They have to leave messages -- maybe send an email. Thus far, civilization as we know it has not crumbled.
Meanwhile, back in the seventies.....
I'm also that guy who, since the seventies, has refused have a television in the main room of their living space. Covered with a quilt maybe with a cat napping on top is okay. It just can't be the easy main event.
posted by philip-random at 2:15 PM on April 27, 2022 [2 favorites]
I generally bring my cell with me outside of home only when I'm expecting someone to contact me. Not just in case somebody might want to contact me. It's a good system. For me anyway. You sort of train people not to expect you to always be there ready for them. They have to leave messages -- maybe send an email. Thus far, civilization as we know it has not crumbled.
Meanwhile, back in the seventies.....
I'm also that guy who, since the seventies, has refused have a television in the main room of their living space. Covered with a quilt maybe with a cat napping on top is okay. It just can't be the easy main event.
posted by philip-random at 2:15 PM on April 27, 2022 [2 favorites]
I'm a big fan of being away from my phone/computer/whatever for hours at a time. People who are used to others responding immediately sometimes try to take me to task for not always being on hand, but they quickly realize that isn't a communication method that I use. They also learn when I am available and tend to reach out then and not other times.
I mean, like... there was a time when you'd make plans to meet someone somewhere and they weren't there on time, and there was absolutely no way to find out what was going on. So you'd wait for an hour, or maybe that person would (on rare occasions) call the restaurant or bar so a message could get to you. Or you'd go to the movie by yourself, or skip that showing, or whatever.
The world does not end if you aren't always in touch. I relish not having my phone being my life. It's a tool for me that I appreciate, but I'm actively resistant about most things others use their phones for regularly. I do appreciate it for small distractions when I'm standing in line or something, but most of the time, I don't even have it with me when I'm doing that.
posted by hippybear at 3:36 PM on April 27, 2022 [3 favorites]
I mean, like... there was a time when you'd make plans to meet someone somewhere and they weren't there on time, and there was absolutely no way to find out what was going on. So you'd wait for an hour, or maybe that person would (on rare occasions) call the restaurant or bar so a message could get to you. Or you'd go to the movie by yourself, or skip that showing, or whatever.
The world does not end if you aren't always in touch. I relish not having my phone being my life. It's a tool for me that I appreciate, but I'm actively resistant about most things others use their phones for regularly. I do appreciate it for small distractions when I'm standing in line or something, but most of the time, I don't even have it with me when I'm doing that.
posted by hippybear at 3:36 PM on April 27, 2022 [3 favorites]
My work (government, non US) expects me to be available on WhatsApp/Telegram 24/7, Monday through Friday, vacation and sick days, on cars, planes or automobiles. Most official communication is conducted over WhatsApp. I've thought repeatedly of smashing my phone or turning it off, but it only means that they would call someone else who is already overburdened, and they would saddle them with what is essentially my responsibility. I also need to answer ASAP, otherwise work tends to pile up until it becomes unmanageable. It's a particular kind of hell I never envisioned.
posted by Omon Ra at 3:55 PM on April 27, 2022
posted by Omon Ra at 3:55 PM on April 27, 2022
Oh my gosh I have such a crush on Kahane. I think I’ll use my smartphone to go listen to one of his albums while I do the dishes. Even though he is, I think, 100% right that it’s a lifesucking little brick in the main. Thank you for this post — it made me happy.
posted by eirias at 4:09 PM on April 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by eirias at 4:09 PM on April 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
Also, just for giggles, I will put into this conversation: Lizzo - Phone.
posted by hippybear at 5:48 PM on April 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by hippybear at 5:48 PM on April 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
A few years ago, I broke my phone and ordered a new one online so I wouldn't have to pay verizon for one. It took a week to ship and I had such a great week! And I was such a burden on everyone who tried to get in touch with me! My husband was sick of my friends texting, people forgot about the phone thing so got confused about me not texting them back, etc. But I had a wonderful week.
I don't know how to do that again without being a huge pain in everyone's ass :(
So I guess that's the problem, it's so hard to set the right boundaries for yourself and stick with them, which is why cold turkey would be great, but if I do cold turkey everyone will be so annoyed...
I also appreciate his point about friction. I am sometimes shocked at what people won't put up with - it's 82 degrees so we have to have the AC on and wear sweaters. Or I want this item which is at this store but I like the target brand slightly better so I will order one unimportant item from target to be delivered to my home. Or whatever. I'm sure people have those moments about me, too.
posted by Emmy Rae at 6:09 PM on April 27, 2022
I don't know how to do that again without being a huge pain in everyone's ass :(
So I guess that's the problem, it's so hard to set the right boundaries for yourself and stick with them, which is why cold turkey would be great, but if I do cold turkey everyone will be so annoyed...
I also appreciate his point about friction. I am sometimes shocked at what people won't put up with - it's 82 degrees so we have to have the AC on and wear sweaters. Or I want this item which is at this store but I like the target brand slightly better so I will order one unimportant item from target to be delivered to my home. Or whatever. I'm sure people have those moments about me, too.
posted by Emmy Rae at 6:09 PM on April 27, 2022
Everyone could use a break from social media or their cell phone. So much miscommunication or lost in translation lately. It definitely seems like a lesser means of actual connection or communication, much of the time, with significant room for interpretation error or general disconnect. Ugh.
posted by firstdaffodils at 9:09 PM on April 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by firstdaffodils at 9:09 PM on April 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
We spend so much time using digitized means, we sometimes completely disregard what one another are like in real time, how to infer tone, reference, even simple context or concepts. The contrast between corporeal and digital is incredible, the article raises a lot of solid points.
posted by firstdaffodils at 9:31 PM on April 27, 2022
posted by firstdaffodils at 9:31 PM on April 27, 2022
Love that line used as the title. It kind of sums up life today (in the more well off parts of the world anyway). Also love the detailed and poetic examination of the opening in a piece of music. It's hard to argue that people generally spend way too much time with screens, and while some uses maybe be more worthwhile than others they still take you away from being able to appreciate the world around you as much. As far as being able to change, I don't know. I think the best solution is to be more mindful of interacting with technology, thinking of whether it's more important and necessary than other things you could be doing, making sure to limit it at least some.
posted by blue shadows at 11:42 PM on April 27, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by blue shadows at 11:42 PM on April 27, 2022 [4 favorites]
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He just released an album, and he's on tour right now. The new album, Magnificent Bird [Bandcamp, track links further down the page], is a really interesting work, and I recommend it to anyone who has experienced his other works.
I love how he's exploring the intersection between modern "popular" music and classical from even centuries ago, and making it all appealing and nicely on target.
posted by hippybear at 5:04 PM on April 26, 2022 [3 favorites]