A Hacker In Your Pocket | How Your Smartphone Is Short Circuiting Your Brain

Jonny and Yusef from PropaneFitness.com join me as we discuss the topic of phone addiction. The problem of excessive tech use is almost universally acknowledged by pretty much anyone with a smartphone, but very few of us are aware of the teams of software engineers, warehouses of supercomputers and decades of research goes into manipulating you to click that link, watch that video or download that app. An argument is often made that technology is neutral and that it is our decision of how we use it, but our phone's intrusion into our lives is so calculated and manipulative that the deck is stacked firmly against us making a choice we're fully in control of. I genuinely believe that Humane Technology and Ethical Persuasion will be a huge topic over the coming years, hopefully we can kickstart your interest into the subject here... On this episode, learn the tactics used by social media websites to manipulate you to stay on site, discover our favourite strategies for taking back control of your phone use and find out why you definitely shouldn't buy a dildo on Facebook Marketplace. Extra Reading: Distraction Is Destruction Podcast (YouTube) www.HumaneTech.com Newsfeed Hider For Chrome Moment App - Listen to all episodes online. Search "Modern Wisdom" on any Podcast App or click here: iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/modern-wisdom/id1347973549 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0XrOqvxlqQI6bmdYHuIVnr?si=iUpczE97SJqe1kNdYBipnw Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/modern-wisdom - I want to hear from you!! Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Email: modernwisdompodcast@gmail.com

Chris WilliamsonhostJonnyguestYusefguest

Jun 5, 20181h 13mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: June 5, 2018
Duration: 1h 13m
Channel: Modern Wisdom
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Jonny and Yusef from PropaneFitness.com join me as we discuss the topic of phone addiction. The problem of excessive tech use is almost universally acknowledged by pretty much anyone with a smartphone, but very few of us are aware of the teams of software engineers, warehouses of supercomputers and decades of research goes into manipulating you to click that link, watch that video or download that app. An argument is often made that technology is neutral and that it is our decision of how we use it, but our phone's intrusion into our lives is so calculated and manipulative that the deck is stacked firmly against us making a choice we're fully in control of. I genuinely believe that Humane Technology and Ethical Persuasion will be a huge topic over the coming years, hopefully we can kickstart your interest into the subject here... On this episode, learn the tactics used by social media websites to manipulate you to stay on site, discover our favourite strategies for taking back control of your phone use and find out why you definitely shouldn't buy a dildo on Facebook Marketplace. Extra Reading: Distraction Is Destruction Podcast (YouTube) www.HumaneTech.com Newsfeed Hider For Chrome Moment App - Listen to all episodes online. Search "Modern Wisdom" on any Podcast App or click here: iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/modern-wisdom/id1347973549 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0XrOqvxlqQI6bmdYHuIVnr?si=iUpczE97SJqe1kNdYBipnw Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/modern-wisdom - I want to hear from you!! Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Email: modernwisdompodcast@gmail.com

SPEAKERS

Chris Williamson
host
Jonny
guest
Yusef
guest
Narrator
other

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Modern Wisdom, featuring Chris Williamson and Jonny, A Hacker In Your Pocket | How Your Smartphone Is Short Circuiting Your Brain explores smartphones Exploit Your Brain: How Apps Hijack Time And Attention Chris Williamson talks with Yusuf and Johnny about how smartphones and social media are deliberately engineered to hijack human attention using cognitive biases and persuasion tactics. They argue that tech platforms run an arms race for attention, optimizing endlessly for time-on-site rather than user well‑being, and compare notification design to slot machines and gambling psychology. The conversation mixes humor with concern, highlighting addiction-like behaviors, echo chambers, outrage-driven feeds, and the erosion of boredom and introspection. They finish by sharing practical strategies—technical, behavioral, and environmental—for regaining control over phone use and making screen time genuinely “time well spent.”

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