Saving Our Souls from the Clutches of Technology with Shannon Algeo

Send us Fan MailWhat if the thing you reach for dozens or hundreds of times a day isn’t simply a tool?In this episode of Queerly Beloved, Wil sits down with psychotherapist, author, and teacher Shannon Algeo (he/him), MA, AMFT, APCC, author of Trust Your Truth and the new book The Power in Your Hands: Liberate Yourself from Attachment to Technology.Shannon’s work offers a fascinating lens on our increasingly intimate relationship with technology: the connection of compulsive smartphone use with insecure attachment patterns. Our phones can become something like surrogate attachment figures- reliable places to seek stimulation, soothing, connection, validation, or escape when being present with ourselves or another human feels harder. Wil brings his own recent exploration into the conversation, sharing discoveries about the ways his social-media algorithm seems to hook different “parts” of him- parts afraid of missing out, being manipulated, or not being enough. Together, Wil and Shannon explore a deliciously provocative question: What might your algorithm reveal about you? And if the things that repeatedly capture your attention are pointing toward unmet needs, fears, desires, or wounds, could noticing those hooks actually become part of a healing practice? They also explore how social media can interfere with the very capacities human beings need for deep relationship: sustained attention, spaciousness, solitude, emotional presence, and the willingness to tolerate the glorious inefficiency of another human being.Together, they explore: How attachment theory can help explain compulsive smartphone use  Why intermittent rewards keep us checking apps over and over  The difference between having a desire and having an algorithm manufacture one  What our personalized feeds reveal about our fears, fantasies, wounds, and needs  How phones can become an escape from uncomfortable emotions  Why real human relationships require friction, inconvenience, and vulnerability  The importance of reclaiming solitude, creativity, wonder, and unstructured time  Practical tools like one sec, app blocking, digital sabbaths, and simpler phones  The possibility of joining a growing renaissance of rehumanizationNear the end of the conversation, Shannon offers perhaps the most hopeful reminder of all: this way of living is remarkably new. We are not permanently wired for endless scrolling. Our relationship with technology can change.When we reclaim our attention, we also reclaim room for what matters: creativity, intimacy, embodiment, purpose, play, and the messy, inconvenient, miraculous people right in front of us. Connect with ShannonShannon Algeo: shannonalgeo.com The Power in Your Hands: https://www.shannonalgeo.com/book Trust Your Truth: http://www.trustyourtruthbook.com/Resources Mentionedone sec: one-sec.app The Light Phone: thelightphone.com Brick: Get Brick Strother School of Radical Attention: School of Radical Attention The Offline Club: The Offline Club Johann Hari / Stolen Focus: Johann HariStay Connected with Queerly BelovedWebsite: https://www.wil-fullyliving.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wilfish99/If this conversation moved you, please subscribe to Queerly Beloved, leave a review, and share the episode with someone who might be ready to reclaim a little more of their attention—and their life.Support the show