Left to Our Own Devices: Outsmarting Smart Technology to Reclaim Our Relationships, Health, and Focus

Margaret E. Morris

Nov 2018 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Marguerite Gavin

About this audiobook

We have been warned about the psychological perils of technology: distraction, difficulty empathizing, and loss of the ability (or desire) to carry on a conversation. But our devices and data are woven into our lives. We can't simply reject them. Instead, Margaret Morris argues, we need to adapt technology creatively to our needs and values. In Left to Our Own Devices, Morris offers examples of individuals applying technologies in unexpected ways-uses that go beyond those intended by developers and designers. Morris examines these kinds of personalized life hacks, chronicling the ways that people have adapted technology to strengthen social connection, enhance well-being, and affirm identity. She describes how a couple used smart lights to work through conflict; how a woman persuaded herself to eat healthier foods when her photographs of salads garnered "likes" on social media; and how a trans woman celebrated her transition with selfies. These and the many other “off-label” adaptations described by Morris, cast technology not just as a temptation that we struggle to resist but as a potential ally as we try to take care of ourselves and others. The stories Morris tells invite us to be more intentional and creative when left to our own devices.

About the author

Margaret E. Morris is a clinical psychologist, researcher, and creator of technologies to support well-being. She conducts user experience research at Amazon and is an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Human-Centered Design and Engineering at the University of Washington.

Marguerite Gavin is a seasoned theater veteran, a five-time nominee for the prestigious Audie Award, and the winner of numerous AudioFile Earphones and Publishers Weekly awards. Marguerite has been an actor, director, and audiobook narrator for her entire professional career, and has over four hundred titles to her credit.