GoKawiilOpinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Key Takeaways Tech isn’t the enemy — the same mechanics that hook people to screens can push them outdoors.
Consumers are shifting from buying products to buying experiences.
Partnerships, not individual brands, will define the next era of the outdoor industry.
Robin Thurston thinks the most dangerous product in modern life may be the screen staring right back at you.
“This really is the new tobacco,” says the CEO of Outside Inc., who believes Silicon Valley has spent years engineering products designed to keep people indoors. “When you aggregate big tech into this, their primary goal is to capture our attention,” he says.
Public sentiment is starting to catch up. In March, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube negligent in a closely watched social media addiction case involving a young woman who said addictive features like infinite scroll and autoplay contributed to anxiety and depression. The companies were ordered to pay roughly $6 million in damages, one of thousands of similar lawsuits now moving through courts in California.
Even on social media—the root of the problem—you can feel the backlash. Digital‑detox content and TikTok challenges reward logging off instead of doom‑scrolling, and influencers are racking up views by quitting the apps that made them famous.
Related: How to Find the Right Balance Between Screen Time and ‘Me’ Time (and Why It’s So Important)
From screen to green
... continue reading