Digital Technology & Social Friction

Mindful Discussions
1

There’s a great quote, often attributed to Roy T. Bennett: “Great things never come from comfort zones.”
To me, this quote basically means that a frictionless life feels good, but it isn’t necessarily GOOD for you.

Keeping that in mind, I wanted to share a great article with you guys:

There’s also an audio version, so you can listed to it on your Mudita Kompakt :slight_smile:

Digital technology actually sits right at the center of what the article is describing, and not in a neutral way. Because digital technology actively reduces social friction by design, which sounds convenient, but has deeper consequences in real life.

Because people spend so much of their life online now, we’re increasingly living in “frictionless” bubbles.
Being online allows us to filter who we interact with. We gravitate toward people who think like us, creating echo chambers that reinforce beliefs and deepen division.

The thing is- friction is part of what makes us human.
A fully optimized, “frictionless” life may feel convenient, but it strips away meaningful human experiences.

What do you guys think? Do you think discomfort is necessary for personal growth? Why or why not?

Do you feel like your daily life includes enough “friction” or has it become mostly smooth and predictable?
Have you noticed any difference in your tolerance for boredom or discomfort when you’re less connected?

I can’t wait to read what you’ve got to say on this topic :slight_smile:

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2

Yes! For example, you cannot improve at running anything from a 5K to a marathon without discomfort.

It ebbs and flows, but this mirrors the need to respect a work/rest cycle.

I welcome being less connected. I do not see those situations as boring.

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Spot on. This just proves people statistically are set for best effort.

That’s a whole rabbit hole by itself.

Few years ago, there was an architect in Poland who began to notice degradation in architectural trends. Fast forward, he ended up with a huge theory on how certain ideologies crave spoiling people with comfort, ego, and pleasure so they become unable to produce, while culture began to thrive thanks to the fact that people, although lazy by default, do what it takes to not starve, but anything beyond that (e.g. culture) takes effort, sometimes being forced to do something. Sounds rough but my point is, the easier something is to achieve, the less valuable it is. Yet, although sweets and screens in the 1st world are of low value, ease of getting a nice hit from them resembles drugs.

4

My sister has the best saying whenever we are in situations that SUCK…or are uncomfortable.
She says….“It builds character.”

And I couldn’t agree more.

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