for me it helps to know that this pandemic (including all the lockdowns) would be way worse without all of the digital innovations from the last 10-20 years.
I legitimately do not know what would have happened, but I feel like it would be much more violent and much deeper despair.
For all the headaches constant connection has brought, it has also alleviated an unknown number of them as well.
”I've come up with a set of rules that describe our reactions to technologies: 1. Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works. 2. Anything that's invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it. 3. Anything invented after you're thirty-five is against the natural order of things.”
1) a smart watch can read notification, messages, listen to music, podcasts, audio books, receive and make phone calls, voice chat, group chats;
2) a eink device to read books, browse internet for news (hackernews for example), emails;
3) game consoles or pc + project + vr for entertainment;
4) a tablet with keyboard for work (with access to servers in cloud) and netflix, youtube.
Indeed smart devices are the epitome of useless tech. In fact, I would argue they make life worse if one is conscious about their privacy and computing.