I remember reading once that the biggest predictor of friendship/relationships was physical proximity.
And a book about a spy who built a relationship with and turned a diplomat by appearing at/around the same grocery store repeatedly, gradually building familiarity then trust.
I often think about these examples. And as much as hobbies etc are good ideas, I think one could start even simpler - walk the dog at the same time every day. Or drive to get a coffee, hang out there for 30 mins, etc. I find a change of scenery helps me too, as well as a routine, to lift the spirits, and those chance encounters will repeat.
i don’t have kids (yet) but this sounds like a social problem, not a technology problem. You literally need to have parents in a community work together to COLLECTIVELY decide what’s best for their children.
A simple technical “ban” is dumb because it’s trivial to bypass, and doesn’t actually solve the problem. Kids are not stupid, they will happily find workarounds.
For example schools could facilitate this. Don’t allow smartphones on school property until children are in high school - only dumb phones allowed. Schools can educate parents early and heavily encourage a no social media policy at home. The only reason kids want to use social media because all the other kids are using it.
These smaller companies are doing well, they just aren’t incentivised to tell you about it. The VC backed companies are, either targeting you as a consumer or an investor and n an eventual IPO.
Hey, author here. Totally agree on how helpful these people are. I have a psychologist and also some great mentors. This doesn't make you immune to things like I wrote about but helps you process and get over them when they happen.
As a side note, I'm in a much better mental space now, largely due to facing these things straight on. Things are good, and I'm motivated and sharp!
I often think about these examples. And as much as hobbies etc are good ideas, I think one could start even simpler - walk the dog at the same time every day. Or drive to get a coffee, hang out there for 30 mins, etc. I find a change of scenery helps me too, as well as a routine, to lift the spirits, and those chance encounters will repeat.
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