“On an episode of 60 Minutes, Tristan Harris, former Google product manager, admitted our smartphones and social media platforms are intentionally designed to make us addicted.

The greatest challenge we face, says author Dan Schawbel, is not terrorism, student loan debt, or political polarization…

It’s isolation.

Problem is, technology is isolation’s greatest incentivizer.

“Every time we pick up our phones,” Schawbel says in his book Back to Human, “we’re pulling a lever in the hope of winning an exciting reward, much like using a slot machine.

“Our devices offer many incredible benefits, including real-time interactions, efficiencies in workflow, creation of new ideas, and access to resources. At the same time, those devices have disrupted our relationships and made our workplaces more dysfunctional.

“Instead of strong bonds, we have weak ties. Instead of productive meetings, we have distractions. Technology has created an illusion that today’s workers are highly connected to one another, when in reality most feel isolated from their colleagues.”

Fortunately, there’s a way out of the technology trap. (And, no it doesn’t involve becoming a luddite.)

Schawbel has some ideas he recently shared with James Altucher (below).

The gist: Stop using technology as a crutch.

Get back to being human. ”

[Time for a jigsaw puzzle maybe?]

Excerpt from Laissez Faire Today Magazine.