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A Conversation on Tech Addiction with Sean Higgins Part 1
Loup Ventures Podcast, Tech Addiction

Sean Higgins is the founder and CEO of BetterYou, a product that “nudges” you to make better decisions and work toward your goals. He is also an entrepreneur in residence at Techstars, a partner at Router Ventures, and previously founded VidGrid.

Top 3 Takeaways

  1. In 2017, 90% of discretionary time was spent on a screen vs. 37% in 2007.
  2. Many common products employ more behavioral engineering that we realize. This means they play to our innate desires and tendencies to drive engagement and keep us on the platform as long as possible.
  3. BetterYou allows a user to input their goals, and it works in the background to keep you on track. BetterYou analyzes the data exhaust from using your device find areas where you are being inconsistent with what you said were important to you.

Show Notes

  • [0:45] How Sean thinks about the problem of tech addiction.
  • [2:40] Why 2007 and the launch of the iPhone was the tipping point for tech addiction.
  • [4:17] Actions you can take to limit your use of tech.
  • [6:45] Sean explains behavioral design built into apps that want to drive engagement.
  • [9:23] The efforts of Apple and Google to bolster awareness of device usage.
  • [11:14] Sean explains what it’s like to use BetterYou.
  • [15:48] The power of incentives and reinforcement in changing your tech behavior.
  • [17:23] Do we stand a chance against data0driven companies that know how to capture our attention so well?
  • [18:57] Where can we learn more about the problem of tech addiction and potential solutions?

Selected Links

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