Today, many if not most of us carry our own Distraction Birds around with us. At the first hint of discomfort or potential conflict or plain old boredom, out comes the silicon Distraction Bird, a magical glowing oblong that takes us away from the current time and place into an alternate reality that's more easily managed, more superficially rewarding, more easily digested in neat little snapshots of dopamine reward. We're transported instantly to our safe space where we can be comforted by an echo chamber of our own opinions reflected back at us, ego boosted by affirmation from people exactly like us, comforted with 'new' ideas that challenge our ingrained perspectives not even slightly. Reality takes a back seat.

Read the rest of our Tech Cynic’s column here.

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