From the dawn of theatre in ancient Greece, we have looked for ways to entertain ourselves. Literature, art, films, the whole gamut of creative work devised to escape the mundane character of the everyday. As a result, we came to see the winners of life as those surrounded by excitement and stimulation. But in an internet age it is increasingly apparent that relentless stimulation may not be desirable after all. Boredom has quietly become a luxury commodity, as a 2.7 billion digital detox industry testifies. Neuroscientists have shown that the brain's Default Mode Network — essential for constructing our sense of self — is most active during wakeful rest. Constant stimulation suppresses it. Not surprising then that the wealthy escape with silent rural environments, and yoga detox retreats.

Should we embrace boredom as the route to a strong sense of self and a rich inner life? Should we see Big Tech as undermining our experience and our sense of who we are? Or should we be grateful for lives full of entertainment, once only available to a privileged few?

Hip-hop star and mental health advocate Jordan Stephens, fiction and nonfiction NYT 10 Best Books of the Year author Patricia Lockwood, and digital theorist Tony Sampson debate Big Tech and the self.