Growing up, screen time was the tv. Computers were for large corporations and as a prop in the tv sho s and movies that we watched. But those didn’t even have screens. Inputted data that came out as code on little cards.

If I needed information, I read a book. If I didn’t have the right book, I went to the library. The reference librarian was a great resource, but I always found doing my own search quite rewarding. Standing in front of the card catalog, a Fort Knox of information. But you didn’t need to break or practice any sort of deception. All you had to do is to know something of what you were looking for. Author, title, subject. And you were off and running.

Now we have Google, Safari, Bing. Open the device and type the query in the search box. Open the device. A screen lights up. All the same information found through the card catalog is now available in immeasurable time. The blink of an eye. But is research really screen time. Is seeking knowledge just a way to pass time.

I don’t access social media very often. I am not on Facebook and have only 16 followers on IG. They are all people I can and do have real time conversations with. I know them. And they know me. Scrolling through that feed can be done waiting in line at the grocery store.

Of course there is TickTock, but after an initial fascination, I only look for a few selects content creators. And the video shorts are only appealing when I am in a certain mood.

Screen time is not mindless. It is mind controlling. It grips your attention and gives you more of what you have asked it for through the magic algorithms. I manage screen time by being selective about what I want to know.