Interesting article, thanks. I'm also a Gen X guy and still don't own a smartphone ;-)
Not sure whether it has indeed anything to do with smartphones, but I've noticed that in the last five years, more and more posts start with "I"; in the past, people posted titles like "A new software that does this and that"; today, you increasingly see titles like "I developed a software"; so there was indeed a significant move from things to personalities.
Interestingly, anonymity is growing at the same rate, so that, for example, on Spotify, more and more people are selecting music solely based on playlists or mood, as if it were a commodity, and they don't care at all who the composer or musician is.
It is also interesting to note that during the same period the decline in the value and respect accorded to achievement and authority has accelerated. I still remember a time when a doctorate in science carried a certain amount of public recognition and authority. Instead, today companies behave as if university degrees did not exist.
I would say that in order to remedy the "ego pandemic" postulated by the author, people need to start appreciating the achievements and experiences of others again.
Rochus•8mo ago
Not sure whether it has indeed anything to do with smartphones, but I've noticed that in the last five years, more and more posts start with "I"; in the past, people posted titles like "A new software that does this and that"; today, you increasingly see titles like "I developed a software"; so there was indeed a significant move from things to personalities.
Interestingly, anonymity is growing at the same rate, so that, for example, on Spotify, more and more people are selecting music solely based on playlists or mood, as if it were a commodity, and they don't care at all who the composer or musician is.
It is also interesting to note that during the same period the decline in the value and respect accorded to achievement and authority has accelerated. I still remember a time when a doctorate in science carried a certain amount of public recognition and authority. Instead, today companies behave as if university degrees did not exist.
I would say that in order to remedy the "ego pandemic" postulated by the author, people need to start appreciating the achievements and experiences of others again.