Michael Calore: Yes.
Lauren Goode: Yes.
Michael Calore: What about you, Zoë?
Zoë Schiffer: My total screen time. I’ve looked it up before and it seems to take about three hours and 40 minutes on my phone, which honestly sounds impressive to me. You raise your eyebrows, Mike, why do you do that? Only a few minutes of this are on social media apps. I feel like I deserve the Medal of Honor.
Michael Calore: You truly deserve the Medal of Honor. I have a timer on my phone that goes off when I’m on Instagram for more than 20 minutes. I hit this timer every day.
Lauren Goode: This is not a joke. He follows it. I’ve sent Mike memes before and don’t get a response, and since we work apart in the newsroom, sometimes I literally walk up to his desk and say, “Did you just see what I sent you?”
Zoë Schiffer: They’re thirsty.
Lauren Goode: I don’t know. He’ll say, “No, I’m out of time,” and I’ll say, “Are you sticking with it? Check out the meme.”
Michael Calore: Have you ever considered giving up on the app?
Lauren Goode: All the time.
Michael Calore: All the time?
Lauren Goode: I’m fantasizing about it at the moment. What would it be like to not constantly feel like you have to stream something?
Michael Calore: Yes. What about you, Zoë?
Zoë Schiffer: Honestly, I’m not on them that much, but I’ve been on parental leave for a few months, so the answer is that I’m constantly thinking about taking my phone off and I’m honestly amazed at how much time I can spend on my phone, even without using social media applications. What about you?
Michael Calore: I often feel like just throwing my phone across the room and never looking at it again, but then I always end up picking it up and turning it back on.
Lauren Goode: This usually happens after I send him some terrible meme.
Michael Calore: Yeah, or I’m thinking of a joke.
Lauren Goode: Normal.
Michael Calore: I have to do a skit now. Yes. Well, today we’re talking about exactly that: Is it time to move on from social media? And since there are so many types of social media apps and platforms, we will focus on the platforms we operate most often, text-based social networking sites, because we are human. This is WIRED Uncanny Valleya show about the people, power and influence of Silicon Valley. My name is Michael Calore and I am the Director of Consumer Technology and Culture at WIRED.