#000: Log Out: Why This Podcast Exists

Siara Singleton (00:07)
Hi, welcome to the Log Out Podcast. I'm so happy you're here. Seriously, thank you for tuning in. If you came here from the trailer, you might be wondering, what's the deal? Let's clear that up right now. I am human. Most of you probably figured that out by now, but just in case, no, I am not AI. And if you're listening skeptically, there's a video version of this podcast on YouTube to help ease your worries. I just wanted to play a little trick, make a little point. I am very much a real person. My name is Siara

I am not an influencer, I'm not a reality TV show refugee or anything like that. I'm not even a founder really. I'm genuinely not selling you anything. I just made this podcast because it's something I'm really passionate about. I live in a regular apartment in a major city. I work a normal nine to five. Log out, however, is my five to nine and has been for the last few months.

Siara Singleton (00:54)
You will not have seen me anywhere but here, but I have some things to share. If you didn't get here from the trailer, you might be a little lost. No worries. Pause this, check it out, and come right back. It's short, I promise. The link is in the description.

Siara Singleton (01:06)
significant thing I want to share is that I undoubtedly have or had an unhealthy relationship with my phone.

and I've sort of convinced myself that what I had wasn't just a bad habit, but an addiction. People say this all the time, sort of flippantly. "Everyone's addicted to their phone" "I'm addicted to YouTube" "I think my kid is addicted to TikTok", but I don't use the word addiction lightly. It's a serious thing and I would never want to downplay it. That said, my measly psych minor from undergrad and everything I've read since tells me that I am in fact chronically addicted to my phone and I do not think I'm alone.

I'm wide open to being wrong about that, but that curiosity is part of what's fueling this podcast. Just my obsession with figuring it out.

I want to take a quick look at what

means. Webster Dictionary defines addiction as a compulsive, chronic, physiological or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, behavior or activity, having harmful physical, psychological or social effects, and typically causing well-defined symptoms such as

anxiety, irritability, tremors, or nausea upon withdrawal or abstinence.

the Diagnostic Manual for Mental Disorders, doesn't explicitly define addiction, but it does outline criteria for substance use disorder. There are 11 key behaviors, and I'm gonna read them off right now.

One, consuming larger amounts or over a longer period than intended. Two, persistent desire or unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control use. Three, excessive time spent obtaining, using, or recovering from the substance's effects. Four, cravings or strong urges to use the substances. Five.

Recurrent use resulting in failure to fulfill major role obligations. Six, continued use despite persistent social or interpersonal problems. Seven, important social, occupational, or recreational activities that are given up or reduced. Eight, recurrent use in physically hazardous situations. People who text and drive, looking at you.

Nine continued use despite knowledge of physical or psychological problems caused or exacerbated by the substance. Ten tolerance, as defined by the need for markedly increased amounts to achieve intoxication or diminished effect with continued use of the same amount. Eleven withdrawal symptoms manifesting as either characteristic withdrawal syndrome or using a substance to relieve withdrawal symptoms. if you meet two to three of these, it's considered mild.

Four to five is moderate, and six or more is considered a severe substance abuse disorder.

I know it's sort of odd to refer to a smartphone as a substance, but when I read through this list, I immediately identified with at least four of these criteria. And I know people who probably check off even more. I haven't been officially diagnosed with a phone addiction. I don't know anyone who has.

But I think we all sort of know this, right? Smartphones as a societal issue is a topic that actually comes up a lot in modern conversation. And still, it just doesn't feel like we've responded to this phenomenon in any meaningful way. And from where I'm sitting, working in the tech industry, it's clear that we're on track to make these devices even more addictive. That just does not sit right with me. Log out exists to explore what's actually happening, how those of us who feel uneasy about it can make a change or at least understand the problem a bit better.

There is a caveat.

If you're looking for an anti-tech cyber doomsday, burn it all down rhetoric, I'm sorry, but I cannot be that for you. The reality is that I love technology. I am not a technical person by trade. I never even officially learned how to code, but I am the type of person to fawn over new apps and gadgets and software. I'm a frequent early adopter. I work in tech. I'm into it. It's really fun. And that's led me to learn a lot about it.

And sometimes I learn things that concern me.

I'm not really even much of a reluctant user. I'm someone who fully embraces technology and

all it has to offer. But at the same time, I feel like a victim of it.

And I hate that word, but from what I've learned, none of this was an accident. Our devices were very much intentionally designed to keep us hooked. So I ask myself questions like, will the devices become less addictive at some point? Is our free will on the table?

These are the questions that I want to dig deeper into.

That said, one of my biggest gripes with the digital world is how casually misinformation spreads. People spew opinions as fact. They fear monger, produce click bait and share baseless hot takes. I'm not into that. I don't want to just rant into a microphone and I really don't want an echo chamber of people who agree with me. Instead, I'll be talking to experts, people who have dedicated their careers to studying this. I'll be speaking with the actual developers behind the technology and sharing real life stories from people who have

and deeply impacted by it. I mostly want to listen. My goal is to uncover the real impact of technology, good and bad, and I'm really excited about it. So if your relationship with your phone or technology in general is a little less than perfect, this might be for you. If your relationship with technology is out of control, this is definitely for you. if

You want to better understand how tech is shaping our lives, then this podcast is for you. Okay, I've talked about myself a lot. Let's move on.

Thank you for listening. Thank you for being here. The first episode is out. We are going to speak with Arvind who is a computer scientist and professor at Princeton University.

He'll explain what AI is, what it's not, what it can do and what it can't. It's a really great conversation. I'm super excited for you to hear it.

Welcome to Log out.

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