Dr. Cal Newport

It's a stymie dopamine response.

You're like, this is not good.

I'm uncomfortable.

And I think that's a big part of it as well because I've had this argument with some people.

And by the way, I see both sides of this.

Like there are great advantages.

what people are doing with these tools.

It's just that it's all mixed up with all these disadvantages and it becomes very difficult.

It's like the alcohol in the neighborhood bar is too potent, you know, and people are going there to socialize and they're coming home at three in the morning, you know, passing out, you know, it's like the balance is off.

Not that there's not something good there.

But the balance is off, so it becomes pretty difficult to navigate.

So I think some of that's what's going on, especially with the younger generation that was raised on it, which is why, by the way, I think the cultural norms are going to change around this.

I think we're going to think about unrestricted internet usage not as something that we just sort of bequeath on youth as they become 10 years old, but something that we're actually much more careful about, probably something that's going to be post-pubescent.

It's going to make a lot more sense once you've had more brain development.

Once you've had more social entrenchment, you sort of understand your identity, et cetera.

Because we recognize, you know, the flip side of plugging this thing into your brain is, yeah, you have access to more information, but it also –

pumps that into your brain.

So I don't know.

I lean a little bit heavier towards the pessimistic read because I know too many people because of my books who've really reduced the impact of these things in their lives.

And they don't, on the far side of that transformation, they don't typically report a great impoverishment and experience.