Is modern technology to blame for our current mental health crisis? Should we just ditch our phones? Or can they be a force for good? Author Drew Cordell shares his thoughts 

For a significant part of my life, I’ve harboured a disdain for smartphones. I believe they bear material responsibility for fostering a socially burdened and insecure younger generation. Furthermore, their role in accelerating environmental degradation troubles me, not to mention my strong aversion to vapid TikTok videos. While I acknowledge some benefits these devices offer, I often wonder if our human existence would be better off without them.

Duality of utility 

This perspective held firm until I recently watched the Netflix documentary Trainwreck: Woodstock ‘99. The film delves into the ill-fated attempt to revive the Woodstock festival in the last chapter of the 20^th Century. Despite feeling like not so long ago, the documentary vividly illustrated how much the world has changed since then. 

The most distressing aspect of the documentary depicted women being objectified, abused and raped during this four-day festival. It shattered my assumption that Western society in 1999 was perhaps inherently more respectful than what it is today. Festival goers… (Register to read the rest of the article)