Distracted from Meaning

"Hidden from everyday awareness, there are two central ways we create meaning in our lives: through social contexts, and the ability to have compound, prolonged experiences. The Distracted Self takes a critical look at the impact of smartphones on these central acts of creating meaning in our lives. Tiger Roholt draws on philosophy rather than the social sciences to understand why it is that many people have the sense that smartphones are draining some of the meaning from their lives. Clarifying the ways in which smartphone-use draws us away from meaningful work and experience, Roholt uses existential phenomenology and Deweyan pragmatism to help us to think about how we might alter our smartphone habits as well as smartphone and app design. By understanding smartphone use through the obstructed activities of identity-creation and prolonged experiences, Roholt shows how awareness can help re-establish these meaningful connections with our immediate environment. Far from being trapped in the present circumstances, he gives us new ways to think about creating meaning in our lives."--