早在iPhone问世之前很久,香烟就成了烦躁人士的首选伴侣。而在Facebook诞生之前很久,正是烟草让你有望增进自己的社交生活。而如今,戒除智能手机已成为新的戒烟。就此,英国《金融时报》驻旧金山记者汉娜.库赫勒写下本文。
Even in Silicon Valley, people are turning off the notifications that constantly buzz for their attention, banning smartphones from the bedroom and, curiously, changing the colours on their screens to a less seductive scale of grey.
即便是在硅谷,人们也在关掉没完没了提醒他们关注的各种通知,不把智能手机带入卧室,并且(奇怪的是)把屏幕的颜色改为不那么诱人的灰度。
The big tech companies will have to work out how to respond to this new generation of quitters. Facebook is the first to go public with its attempt, hoping its recent move to slash memes, brands and news from its newsfeed will make the social network feel more homely - filled with friends and family who encourage us to stay.
大型科技公司将不得不研究如何应对新一代的戒瘾者。Facebook是第一个将这种尝试公诸于世的公司,最近大幅减少新闻推送中的表情包、品牌和新闻,希望借此使这个社交网络更让人感觉温馨,充满了朋友和家人,鼓励我们留下来。
Last year the tech industry received a label - Big Tech - with unfortunate echoes of other industries that have faced fierce opposition, including Big Tobacco. Like them, the tech industry has to quell concern from a new generation of activist shareholders that are questioning its role in the world.
去年,科技行业得到了一个标签--科技巨擘(Big Tech)--不祥地令人联想起其他遭到激烈反对的行业,包括烟草巨擘。与那些行业一样,科技行业也必须化解新一代活动人士股东的担忧,这些股东正在质问该行业在现实世界中的角色。
These campaigns are nowhere near as extensive as those faced by Big Tobacco. In the 1990s, socially responsible investors refused to put money in tobacco stocks, activists lobbied for companies to spin off tobacco divisions and even targeted companies with a tangential interest in the business.
这些活动远没有烟草巨擘当年面临的反对那样广泛。在1990年代,注重社会责任的投资者拒绝把钱投给烟草股,活动人士游说各公司剥离烟草部门,甚至把矛头对准那些与该行业仅略微关联的公司。
It is far thornier for investors to challenge Big Tech and hard to separate the good these companies do in the world - connecting old friends and giving space for people to share their ideas - from the bad. The annual general meeting, where PR posturing meets shareholder grandstanding, may not be the place to reckon with these complexities.
对投资者来说,挑战科技巨擘要棘手得多,也很难将这些公司在现实世界中做的好事(与老友保持联系,并为人们提供表达想法的空间)同它们做的坏事区分开来。年度股东大会--公关人员的装腔作势遭遇股东们的装腔作势--也许并非解决这些复杂问题的理想场合。
In the meantime, going cold turkey on technology remains problematic. The ability to achieve tech-life balance is becoming a status symbol. In The World Without Mind: The Existential Threat of Big Tech, Franklin Foer argues that tech should be seen in a similar way to junk food: a convenience that some reject for more sustaining nourishment.
与此同时,突然完全戒掉科技设备仍是有问题的。实现科技/生活平衡的能力正成为一种地位象征。在《无思想的世界:科技巨擘的生存威胁》(The World Without Mind: The Existential Threat of Big Tech)里,富兰克林.弗尔(Franklin Foer)认为,科技应当被视为类似垃圾食品的东西:一种方便食品,有些人为获得更持续的营养而拒绝了它。
Given that the average American spends more than four hours a day on their phone, according to research firm eMarketer, I believe we need to do more to turn the tide. We need real rules to nudge people of all backgrounds away from addiction, not just those who feel social pressure to live an offline life.
研究公司eMarketer的数据显示,美国人平均每天花在手机上的时间超过4个小时。有鉴于此,我认为,我们需要采取更多措施来扭转局面。我们需要真正的规则来推动所有背景的人(而不仅仅是那些在线下生活会感受到社会压力的人)戒除设备瘾。
In the same way that public service announcements made smoking around your children taboo, we can warn parents against losing themselves in their smartphones while taking care of kids. As when non-smoking areas were established in restaurants, we can create no-smartphone zones at dinner. Eventually, smartphones could be banned from all public places, shunned in favour of actually giving our attention to the people around us instead.
就像公益广告让在你孩子身边吸烟成为禁忌一样,我们可以警告家长们:在照顾孩子的时候,不要让自己沉迷于智能手机。就像在餐馆里建立非吸烟区一样,我们可以在就餐时划出无智能手机区。最终,所有公共场所可能会禁止智能手机,促使我们去关注身边的人。