Technology continues to destroy our mental health as a race, but nobody seems to care

I’ve been fascinated by the concept of the collective mental health of human beings. Two decades ago, the internet was a very interesting new thing, but most people I knew were convinced that it would just be another tool, like the car or the refrigerator. Now, people’s lives are being controlled by technology, from social media to cell phones to Netflix. Several years ago, I read an essay by a guy who decided to quit the internet for a year, solely because he was curious about what would happen. The conclusion he came to was that his life was better without it.<br><br>I have been considering this for a while, but I find myself being too much of a chicken to do it. I am not sure if I know anyone who has never had a cell phone. I have met a few people who have never surfed the web and have never been on social media. It’s interesting to imagine kissing all of that stuff goodbye, and I wonder what would happen. I also wonder if the good it would do would be worth the inconvenience it would cause. If everyone on the planet walked away from the internet, I bet the number of deaths by car accident would drop, because that’s a leading cause of death for young people these days. <br><br>Has anyone here ever thought about this? I hear people talk about kissing social media goodbye, but it seems rare for anyone to actually consider ditching cell phones too. Do people even know how to use a map anymore these days? If someone walked away from the internet, how would they find jobs? I know several people who work remotely and use their cell phone to do their job, so I wonder how much of a hindrance this would be. It seems strange that we truly cannot live without this. I am starting to realize that it probably isn’t worth it for me to walk away from using the web completely, but I am curious about it, how it would affect my psyche, relationships, work, etc.<br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>Edit:<br><br>Wow, these responses were so fast. I can’t answer everyone, I have to get to work. I will respond to a few. <br><br>@Mick3117 I understand what you mean about having a job, but my post was not really about that. I was more specifically questioning the fact that most of us seem to have a cell phone attached to our hand and stare at it constantly. It’s making a lot of people depressed, lonely, and narcissistic. <br><br>@WailingSaint I have been considering this for a while. Thank you for the feedback. <br><br>@tortugaibe I have a cell phone, I just don’t use apps like Facebook, instagram, tiktok, etc. I have a flip phone, and I only have internet access if I have a wifi signal. I don’t have any apps on my phone except for maps. I don’t have any games, or weather apps, or anything. I don’t get notifications. I am much happier without them.