Digital minimalism leads to devices with limited functionality
Limited functionality is the most common complaint against Meta's smartglasses and Humane's AI Pin despite that being the core appeal.
It's frustrating to face screens for +8 hours a day and to feel glued to TikTok passed midnight when you should be sleeping. Some people make the effort to distance themselves with social media. They deactivate Facebook and delete the apps for a month. The trouble is that the possibility to scroll is still available, you still have the phone. It's easy to reinstall Reddit.
Smart flip phones like a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip are appealing because that front screen has limited functionality. Opening the phone is an extra barrier between you checking the time and you opening a distracting app. Smartglasses and pins create a similar barrier using absence.
Habits are hard to make and even harder to break. Especially when you make bad habits out of your attention. Ultimately, cutting back on social media and distracting tech means finding your way of being comfortable with missing out.
If more people learn to find this comfort, future iterations of smartglasses and pins may be the ideal middle ground. Which would certainly shift more devices to be designed around what's healthier for people.
If you want resources for reducing screen time, Cal Newport publishes great in-depth writings and videos about Digital Minimalism.
