Friction-Maxxing might be the thing that saves us from our own worst tendencies: 'frictionmaxxing is really humanmaxxing'

• 01

  

• There is, and we've reached it, argues Kathryn Jezer-Morton, a columnist for the Cut who coined the term “Friction-Maxxing” in a recent article. She lays out her plan to build up her tolerance for inconvenience, which she says isn't even true inconvenience but rather “just the vagaries of being a person living with other people in spaces that are impossible to completely control.” Her strategies: delete Chat CPT, stop sharing your location, offer to babysit for a friend. Make life just a little more annoying. 

• 02

  

• 03

  

• This idea is a powerful counterpoint to most of the messaging we can't help but receive. It encourages us to look at technology skeptically and ask what it really wants from us. Convenience is nice, but it always comes at a price. It's nice to remember that we're in charge of how we use it. We don't have to order our coffee ahead of time on an app, even though it saves us a couple of minutes. We can talk to the barista, get a dose of human interaction, and maybe even learn something. What are we in such a rush for anyway?

Tags