What's the computer for?

When I sit down at the computer, one of the first things I end up doing is open a series of web pages, one after another. Usually it's some news, link aggregator sites (Reddit, HN, etc), the weather, Youtube. Just to see what is new, what's changed since I last looked.

I started calling this pattern the "default mode", after the "default mode network", a term that refers to the state your brain takes when you are bored and don't have anything to focus on. Ironically, I learned about this term, "default mode network", probably when I was looking at one of the many videos or blog posts I've read that talk about the benefits of being bored. With the Internet, we rarely allow ourselves to reach that state anymore.

My default mode when I sit down at my desk turns out to be one of distraction and novelty, almost regardless of what I came here to do. It doesn't allow me to clear my thoughts and be creative. Sometimes I even forget what I sat down to do in the first place! Clearly, this has been frustrating and more than a little disconcerting. What's the purpose of all this computing hardware, mice and keyboards designed for ergonomics and productivity, large displays for spreading out work? Is it just for distraction? Are my finely made tools in fact just toys?

A carpenter doesn't go to his workshop and rip boards just "to pass a few minutes". He might experiment and try new techniques, learn and develop his skills, but cutting the same piece of wood over and over for no reason would be silly. So with the workshop of the computer, why do I sit down and read the same websites, often the same stories, and watch the same sorts of videos, over and over again?

I know I am not alone in struggling with this either. Just search around for "forgot why I opened my phone". The common experience is to bring out the phone, or sit down at the computer to do something, and then by reflex just open the "default mode" item – instagram, the news, etc.

I think my frustration with getting stuck in this mode is connected to the reason I enjoy computers in the first place: I find computation interesting. The creative process of exploring the mechanics of the machine, how to use the tools of computing to solve a problem, how to manage and organize data; these are all reasons I WANT to be seated at my workstation. Not just to have my attention stolen by novelty.

See also: Low fone February