Today, we talk about our addiction to computers. To some extent, catastrophizing is understandable since computers are everywhere—from our pockets to office facilities. However, it’s not a new phenomenon to demonize technology.

Forty years ago, the BBC covered a similar topic: addiction to computers. But what was different about computer addiction in 1980 compared to 2020? What made people in 1980 eagerly use their computers, compared to people in 2020, who can easily pull a computer out of their pocket? Everything I write below is merely an opinion—a perspective without statistical data or studies—and should be treated as such.

Today’s addiction is communicative in nature. Computers now, unlike in 1980, are all interconnected, and by extension, so are we. We want to share our experiences with the world, to communicate our emotions, the music we like, the movies we’ve seen, the trips we’ve taken. In an oversimplified term: our lifestyle. It’s the addiction to likes and shares. Some may view this negatively, but it’s not far removed from basic human characteristics.

The addiction of 1980, as shown by the BBC, was quite different. It was an addiction to the essence of technology, creativity, learning, and solving a problem simply for the sake of solving it. It was an addiction akin to that of reading a book and wanting to discover the next part of the story. An addiction centered on making daily life easier.

The evolution of technology over the past 40 years, the way we use it, and what we perceive as addiction has changed—and understandably so. It will be fascinating to see how both technology and the ways people choose to use it evolve in the next 40 years.