EP14:Deep Into - Superbloom
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Welcome back, everybody. Today, we're going to be doing another deep dive. And this time, we're going to be tackling this question that I think a lot of us have, which is like, with all this technology that's coming out, is it actually changing who we are as people? Yeah. And to help us kind of unpack that question, we are going to be diving deep into Nicholas Carr's book, Superblown. Oh, cool. Have you had a chance to take a look at it yet? Yeah, I have. It's really interesting. I mean, I'm always kind of fascinated by these, like,

critiques of technology. Yeah. But I really appreciate that Carr isn't just like ranting against it. You know, he's he's weaving together these really captivating anecdotes and like insightful analysis, thought provoking questions. And it really makes you kind of step back and examine your own relationship with digital life. Yeah. No, totally. And it's it's not all doom and gloom either. Right. Like he he

tells this story early on about the 2019 Super Bloom in California. Oh, yeah. Do you remember that? I do vaguely. So like,

thousands of people you know flock to this place to see these incredible poppy fields right but then ended up mostly just taking selfies and like posting about it online oh wow which is kind of ironic right yeah that's really interesting because i think it speaks to this idea of hyper reality oh yeah explain that a little bit so it's like the representation of the experience you know the the

the perfect Instagram photo becomes more important than actually being there, you know? Right. Smelling the flowers, feeling the sun on your skin. It's like we're turning the whole world into content to be shared instead of like directly experienced. Yeah. Does that resonate with you at all? All the time. I catch myself like out, you know, doing something and I'm like, oh, this would make a great post. Yeah, totally. Instead of just enjoying the moment for what it is. Yeah. And Carr really digs into how

Like communication itself has changed too, right? Oh, yeah. Like think about it. We went from emails to like instant messages to texting. And every step of the way, it's gotten like faster and shorter. Right. It's all about like being more efficient, compressing our thoughts into like smaller and smaller packages. Yeah. And I think that reflects a shift in our thinking too. You know, instead of like decompressing.

deep contemplation and carefully crafting our responses. Right. We're all about quick reactions and, you know, sound bites. Right. And think about text speak, like all those abbreviations and emojis. Some people say it's like ruining language, but maybe it's just adapting to, you know, this new way we communicate. It's like our brains are being rewired for speed. Yeah. But then where does that leave, like, you know, actually thoughtful conversation? Right.

That's a good question. And Carr brings up this idea of the paradox of proximity, which I thought was really fascinating. What is that? So it's basically this idea that sometimes, like,

being closer to people can actually lead to more dislike. Really? It sounds kind of counterintuitive, right? Yeah. But he talks about this study in Irvine, California, where they found that neighbors in this condo complex were more likely to be both friends and enemies. Oh, wow. And people who lived further apart. Interesting. And he calls this environmental spoiling, where like,

You're just constantly exposed to their habits, their little quirks. And even small annoyances can like build up over time. Yeah, that makes sense. Like familiarity breeds contempt, as they say. Exactly. And then think about how that plays out with social media. Oh, yeah. Like now you're exposed to everyone's opinions and rants and like, you know, all the time. It's like a constant stream of potential annoyances. Yeah, right. So no wonder things feel so like...

heated and polarized all the time. It's like social media acts as this negativity amplifier, constantly bombarding us with things that irritate or offend us. So we're more connected than ever, but maybe not in a good way. Right. It's a double edged sword. Totally. And Carr also debunks this idea that

that the internet was going to like automatically make society more democratic and equal. Oh, yeah. The early utopian dreams of the internet, you know, where everyone would have a voice and we'd all be connected and informed citizens. It hasn't quite worked out that way, has it? It hasn't. And, you know, one of the things he points to is how algorithms have basically become editors. Right. They're shaping what we see and, you know, more subtly how we think. Like,

We think we're in control of what we see online. But a lot of times it's these algorithms that are making decisions for us, you know, based on our past clicks and likes and all that. It's like a filter bubble. Yeah. And that can be kind of dangerous, right? Like think about misinformation and political polarization. Absolutely. And Carr even compares our situation to some of the things that Walter Lippmann did.

I was writing about way back in the early 1900s. Okay. Lippman was this journalist and political commentator. And he was really critical of like the idea that democracy could ever truly work. Oh, interesting. Because he argued that people are just like overwhelmed by the complexity of the world. Right. And they end up relying on shortcuts and stereotypes. Yeah. To make sense of things. Does that sound familiar? Totally. It's like social media feeds us exactly what we already think. Right. Reinforcing those biases. Yeah.

instead of challenging them. It's not a recipe for thoughtful debate, that's for sure. Not at all. And it can be isolating too. You know, you end up surrounded by people who agree with you. Yeah. Never exposed to different perspectives. All right. So we've talked about how tech is changing how we think, how we communicate. But what about like who we are? Right. Like our sense of self. Yeah. Carr gets pretty personal with this idea that social media is

turns us all into performers. Like we're constantly aware of how we're coming across. Yeah, like we're always on stage. Right, curating our image for this like invisible audience. And that need for validation, you know, through likes and comments, it can be really draining. I think the pandemic definitely made this worse too. Oh, absolutely. We were forced to live even more of our lives online, blurring the lines between real and virtual even further. So how do we even figure out who we are anymore?

when so much of our lives is filtered through these platforms? That's the question, isn't it? And Carr brings up these concepts of like the looking glass self and presentation of self, which are ideas that have been around for a while in sociology. Yeah. But social media takes them to a whole new level. Like we're constantly checking our reflections in the digital mirror, shaping our identities based on how others react to us online. Okay. So we've been talking about how technology is shaping us. Right.

But what happens when technology starts to shape itself? Ooh, that's getting really meta. It is. And Carr tells this fascinating story about William Butler Yeats, the poet. Oh, yeah. And his wife, Georgie, who practiced automatic writing.

Oh, wow. So basically they would like let their subconscious guide their hand. Interesting. Just write whatever came out. And he uses this as a way to introduce the rise of AI. Ah, I see the connection. Yeah. And these large language models like chat GPT that are trained on these massive amounts of human expression. Yeah. And can create text that seems like incredibly human like.

It's kind of mind blowing, right? It is. It's both amazing and a little bit unsettling. Yeah. Because what does it even mean to be human when machines can like write poetry and code and carry on conversations? It's a really profound question. And I think it's one that we're all going to have to grapple with more and more as AI continues to evolve. It's blurring the lines between human and machine, forcing us to like reconsider our own creativity and consciousness and, you know, our whole relationship with technology.

So is this the future then? What do you mean? Like living in virtual worlds, letting AI do our thinking for us. Carr explores these ideas too. You know, he contrasts the utopian visions of some tech leaders. Like who? Like, you know, Mark Zuckerberg and Marc Andreessen. Right. The metaverse folks. Yeah. They're all about this idea that virtual reality is going to like solve all our problems and offer us like endless possibilities and experiences.

But is it really a utopia or just like a high tech form of escapism? Right. And that's what Carr is trying to get us to think about. I see. Because it's tempting, right? Yeah. That constant novelty and instant gratification online. It can make the real world seem pretty dull by comparison. Right. And I think that's the danger that Carr is highlighting. It's like we need to find a balance. Mm hmm.

be intentional about how we engage with technology. Right. We have to resist the pull of pure escapism. So how do we stay grounded in a world that's increasingly virtual? That's the big question, right? Carr tells this story about Samuel Johnson. Oh, yeah. Who was this like 18th century writer and lexicographer. And he was arguing with someone about like whether the world actually exists. Oh, yeah. You know, like some philosophical debate. Right. And to prove his point, he like kicked a rock.

And he was like, I refute it thus. Oh, wow. Like basically saying like, look, the world is real. It's tangible. It's solid. It's a powerful image, isn't it? It is. And I think Carr is using it.

To contrast that like groundedness in the physical world with our current obsession with virtual spaces. Yeah. Where everything feels fluid and ephemeral. Right. And he seems to be saying like, hey, don't forget about reality. You know, like we need to engage with tangible experiences first.

With the world around us. And not let the virtual completely overshadow the real. Exactly. And he even introduces this concept of excommunication, which I thought was really interesting. Excommunication? What's that? It's this idea of deliberately choosing to step back from the overwhelming flow of information and like reclaim our attention and our time. So like a digital detox. Kind of, but more than that. Okay. It's about like...

consciously choosing to disconnect. I see. And like resist the constant pull of the digital world. It sounds pretty radical in today's world. It does. But maybe it's exactly what we need. Maybe you're right. You know, to create space for reflection, for contemplation, for simply being present in the moment without all the digital distractions. I like that. So after all this, what does it all mean for us? That's the big question, right?

How do we navigate this world that's constantly changing, both because of and in spite of technology? I think Super Balloon offers some really valuable insights on that. Well, I'm eager to hear more. Let's keep diving in then. Okay. I'm excited to see what other gems Carr has in store for us. You know, it's like we open this Pandora's box and there's just so much to unpack here. One thing that really struck me was how Carr connects this like fast paced communication style we talked about to like a

a bigger shift in our thinking. You mean like how we're all about speed and quick reactions now? Exactly. Like think back to the early days of email. It was revolutionary for its convenience, but it also pushed us towards a more like abrupt, less formal style of communication. Yeah. We stopped worrying so much about perfect grammar and pleasantries. Right. And we just wanted to get to the point fast.

And then like instant messaging and texting took that even further right. Like remember when we first started using abbreviations and emojis? It felt so weird at first. Totally. But we adapted so quickly. It's like text speak became its own language. All about efficiency and like keeping up with this constant influx of messages.

But it wasn't just about like saving time or space. It reflected this change in like our cognitive prophecies. You know, we were becoming more intuitive, more reactive, but less deliberate in our thinking. Like we traded depth for speed. Exactly. Always connected, but rarely pausing to like really think things through. And Carr argues that this isn't just like limited to how we chat with friends. Right. He sees it in everything.

From like journalism and politics to the way we work. We skim headlines, react to tweets, make decisions based on sound bites. It's this fragmented, superficial way of like consuming and processing information. It's kind of scary when you think about it. Yeah. Like are we losing our capacity for deep thinking, for engaging with like complex issues? It's a valid concern. I mean, we're constantly bombarded with information, expected to have an opinion on everything instantly. Yeah.

It's hard to resist getting caught up in the superficial and like missing the bigger picture. And then there's that whole democratization fallacy that Carr talks about. Oh, yeah. Remember all that hype about how the Internet was going to like level the playing field and make society more equal? Yeah. The Internet was supposed to usher in this new era of like democratized knowledge and empowerment. Right. But it didn't quite pan out as planned. It definitely didn't. I mean, yeah, the Internet did give us access to more information than ever before.

But it also created these new challenges like misinformation spreads like wildfire and algorithms often trap us in echo chambers that just like reinforce our existing biases. Exactly. Instead of having this like open and informed public discourse, we end up in these like fragmented and polarized online communities. It's like instead of having a conversation, we're just yelling at each other across these digital divides. And the whole privacy issue adds another layer of complexity. Oh, yeah.

For sure. It's almost impossible to maintain any sense of privacy in the digital age. Our data is constantly being collected and analyzed and used in ways we're often not even aware of. Does that ever freak you out? Totally. It feels like we're constantly being watched, you know? Right. Every click and like feeding this giant data machine. Right.

It's hard to know who's really in control. Exactly. It raises these big questions about power and control in the digital age. Like, who owns our data? Right. How is it being used to influence our thoughts and behaviors? These are things we need to be talking about more. So amidst all this, we're supposed to, like...

Figure out who we are. Right. It feels like our sense of self is getting lost in all this digital noise. Totally. Like social media pushes us towards this constant self-awareness and performance. Yeah. We're always curating our online image, seeking validation through likes and comments. It's exhausting.

I've definitely fallen into that trap. Oh, yeah, me too. Trying to present this like perfect version of myself online, even when it doesn't reflect how I'm really feeling. It's such a common experience. And the pandemic just amplified all of this, pushing us even further into our digital lives, blurring the lines between the real and virtual even more. So we're living in this like hybrid world now. Yeah. Where it's harder than ever to separate online and offline experiences.

what does that even mean for our mental health or well-being it's something we need to be paying attention to like rates of anxiety depression loneliness are all on the rise

And it's hard to ignore the role technology plays in all of this. The constant connection, the pressure to perform, the fear of missing out. It takes a toll. It's a lot to process. It feels like we're constantly swimming against this tide of information overload. Yeah. Just trying to stay afloat amidst all the noise. That's why books like Super Bloom are so important. Carr's urging us to step back, to critically examine our relationship with technology and media, to consider how it's impacting us on both an individual and societal level.

But he's not saying we should all become Luddites and reject technology completely, right? No, no, not at all. It's about being more conscious, more intentional about how we use it. We still have agency even in this seemingly overwhelming digital landscape.

So how do we reclaim that agency? How do we avoid getting swept away by the current? Well, one place to start is by understanding the forces at play. Carr dives into the fascinating world of AI, exploring the rise of these machines who speak, you know, these systems that are able to generate information.

incredibly human-like text. Yeah, the whole AI thing is like both fascinating and terrifying at the same time. I know, right? It's like it's amazing what these systems can do, but it also raises some unsettling questions. For sure. He uses this captivating story about the poet William Butler Yeats and his wife Georgie, who practiced automatic writing as an analogy for how these AI systems work. They're not creating something out of nothing. They're drawing on these vast databases of human language and expression to generate new content.

So it's not like pure originality, but more like a sophisticated remix. Yeah, in a way. But that raises even more questions, right? What does it mean for human creativity when machines can seemingly write poetry and code and even carry on conversations that feel so authentic? Right. It makes you wonder about the future of art, of expression, of what it means to be human in a world where machines are increasingly capable of mimicking our ability. Exactly. Those are questions we're going to need to grapple with as AI continues to evolve.

And we haven't even touched on the potential impact of virtual reality and augmented reality, which Carr explores in the context of this world without world. Oh, yeah. Those tech visionaries like Mark Zuckerberg and Mark Andreessen. Right. They paint a picture of a future where we can fully immerse ourselves in virtual spaces, escaping the limitations of the physical world. They argue that these virtual worlds can offer us like unprecedented freedom and fulfillment, but.

Is it really a utopia or just another form of escapism? And what happens to our real world connections and experiences if we retreat further into these digital realms? It's a tempting vision, especially when the real world can feel so messy and complicated.

But Carr seems to be cautioning us against embracing it wholeheartedly. Yeah, he's urging us to consider the potential consequences, to weigh the benefits of technological advancement against the potential costs to our individual and collective well-being. So how do we strike that balance? How do we engage with technology in a way that enhances our lives without letting it consume us? That's the million-dollar question, isn't it? And I think Carr offers some valuable insights in the rest of Superbloom.

Well, let's keep diving in then. I'm eager to hear what other gems he has in store for us. One of the things that really stuck with me from the book is that story about Samuel Johnson kicking the rock. Oh, yeah. Yeah. To prove that the world exists. Right. It's such a simple act. But like in the context of everything we've been talking about, it's so profound. It's like he's saying, hey, don't forget about reality.

Like the physical world is still here. Exactly. And he contrasts that groundedness with our like increasing immersion in virtual spaces where everything feels so fluid and like ephemeral. Right. It's all about the tangible, you know, the real. And I think he's reminding us of the importance of like staying connected to the physical world, engaging with tangible experiences. Right. And not letting the virtual completely overshadow the real.

I love how he brings up that concept of excommunication, too. Oh, yeah. What did you think about that? It's such a radical idea, but it's like so relevant to everything we've been discussing. It is. It's like this deliberate choice to disconnect from the constant flow of information to reclaim our attention, our time. It's like a digital detox, but on a deeper level. Yeah. It's about like consciously choosing to step back and resist that constant wallowing.

whole of the digital world. You know, I think it's interesting because we've become so accustomed to being constantly connected. Right. That the idea of disconnecting even for like a short period. Uh-huh. It can feel almost impossible. FOMO is real. Yeah. But maybe that's exactly why we need to do it. You think so? I do know to create space.

for reflection, for contemplation, for just like being present in the moment without all the digital distractions. I think that's a really important point. And I think it's one of the key takeaways from Super Bloom. It's not about rejecting technology altogether. It's about finding a balance, using it consciously and intentionally rather than letting it control us. And I think that goes back to what we were saying earlier about AI and virtual reality. It's

It's not about like avoiding these technologies altogether. Right. But about being mindful of the potential downsides. Yeah. Like what are the tradeoff? Exactly. And being intentional about how we engage with them. I think one of the things that I really appreciate about Carr's work is how he weaves together insights from so many different fields. Oh, totally. Like philosophy, psychology, sociology, technology. Yeah. It's not just a critique of technology. It's like a reflection on the human condition, on how we're grappling with the complexities of this rapidly changing world.

And he does such a good job of like connecting the dots. He does. Showing us how these seemingly like disparate ideas and trends are all intertwined. Right. And how they're shaping the future of humanity. Yeah. This has been an amazing deep dive. It has. Super Bloom is definitely a book that's going to stay with me. Me too. It's challenged my thinking.

and made me see the world in a new light. Yeah, I think it's a book that raises more questions than it answers, but I think that's a good thing. It's a call to action, an invitation to engage in a deeper conversation about the role of technology in our lives. So to everyone listening out there, I highly recommend checking out Superbloom. Yeah, it's a great read. It's thought-provoking. It'll make you question your assumptions about progress in technology. For sure. And hopefully...

inspire you to like engage with the world in a more mindful and intentional way. And remember, it's not about rejecting technology. It's about finding that balance that works for you. It's about reclaiming your attention, your time, your sense of self in a world that's constantly trying to pull you in a million different directions. Well, thanks for joining us on this deep dive into Super Bloom. It's been a pleasure.

It's been so great exploring these ideas with you. We hope you'll continue to dive deep into the topics that matter most to you.