Critics challenge Duggan's framing as self-inflicted versus structural
5 Yesterday 9:40 AM · 1d ago · 6 comments · 1 source · development 5 of 7
Two opposing critiques emerge: one argues Duggan conflates design manipulation (intentionally under-designed screen-time controls) with personal agency; another claims his frustrations are self-inflicted and that he should simply disable notifications and delete optional apps rather than frame it as systemic coercion.
“Smartphones are marvelous and incredibly useful. Nobody wants to renounce instant messaging or digital documents. The problem is that unlocking your phone is like entering a casino, where everything conspires against your best intentions.”
FinnLobsienMat Duggan Author, essayist
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What people said 6 voices · verbatim
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The emotions are relatable, but the examples are strange and don't back up his argument. It is true that there are many situations in modern life where a smartphone has become effectively mandatory.But Ali Express is not one of those. It's very feasible to delete the app, or at least turn off the notifications. The quality of TV writing may have…
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I think part of the problem is the frictionless and feeling like I can’t control the nature of the device.I think my killer feature would be a phone that is only configurable at a laptop. You can install whatever you want, but it has to be at the laptop. Website allow lists on the laptop. You can uninstall and block things on the phone but you…
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Absolutely audacious to complain about being "forced" to install apps and in the next sentence complain about the Aliexpress app. Nobody forced you to install the aliexpress app. Nobody needs the aliexpress app.Also people need to hate ads more. A single unwarranted notification will get me to disable all notifications or uninstall your app. If…
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I've noticed a similar phenomenon: getting tired of networks and algorithms. I wrote a short essay with my thoughts on "Well Being in Times of Algorithms" [1].
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I don't think you can track a package now without the app on aliexpress. It might be another website but expect it to become more common
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My phone is pretty much always in my pocket, both in the sense that I always have it, and in the sense that I rarely use it.
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