Ted Kaczynski coined the term "surrogate activity" in his manifesto, Industrial Society and Its Future. The term, broadly, refers to activities which serve no useful purpose and are pursued for purely artificial reasons - think of sports teams, social media addiction, or playing video games. Kaczynski's argument seems to hinge on the idea that many human activities in modern life act as replacements ("surrogates") for some "natural" activity, that is, an activity our primitve ancestors may have engaged in - and that the modern replacements are largely inferior to their ancient counterparts. I won't delve here into detailed analysis of Kaczynski's argument, other than to say that, on the surface, it appears to be logical and straightforward. Certainly, it would be difficult to argue against the idea that human activity is largely driven by unconscious and "primitive" impulses. And it is obvious that technology has supplanted or altered many activities that we might have performed hundreds or thousands of years ago.

Ten years before Kaczynski's manifesto, in 1985, Neil Postman's book Amusing Ourselves to Death was published (later adapted into an album by Roger Waters). Postman was concerned with the effects of television on the mind, in particular its tendency to reduce our attention spans, decrease our literacy, and polarize our thinking. In the decades since Postman and Kaczynski, technological advancements have given us access to increasingly more engaging and addicting ways to entertain ourselves. We are distracted, addicted, captivated by our screens.

This is perfectly understandable. Our minds were never evolutionarily prepared for the surfeit of stimulation they are now bombarded by on a daily basis. That we fall prey to addiction is not surprising. And, when we look at the state of the world and see how bleak it is, it makes sense that it would cause us to retreat into our digital analgesics.

But are we happy with this?

I am not. I don't like that I am so captivated by my phone, that I unconsciously check Reddit or Youtube at the slightest hint of ennui. It's been said before, but I think boredom is important. Being bored and sitting and doing nothing, just allowing your mind to wander, allows some natural space in the day for reflection and contemplation. That space is destroyed when we all have the ability to access the entirety of human knowledge and experience in our pocket.

I happen to fall into perhaps the particular demographic most susceptible to enjoying video games: young western male. As a kid I played a lot - I would guess I put several thousand hours into two of my favorite games. In my 20s, the way I experience gaming has changed. The magic of games that I felt in my childhood doesn't exist anymore. It is more readily experienced as a pure distraction - and I am aware that it is only a distraction. And yet it is still captivating - the game is designed to retain your attention, to make you want to do nothing else. Game designers seem to have mastered the creation of artificial goals.

I don't like how this feels.