How Free Time Transformed From Strolls Through Aristocratic Gardens to Doomscrolling on TikTok

History Unplugged Podcast

History Unplugged

Society & Culture, History

4.2 • 3.7K Ratings

🗓️ 25 January 2024

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Free time, one of life’s most important commodities, often feels unfulfilling. But why? And how did leisure activities transition from strolling in the park for hours to “doomscrolling” on social media for thirty minutes?

Despite the promise of modern industrialization, many people experience both a scarcity of free time and a disappointment in it. Here to explain why this is today’s guest Gary Cross, author of “Free Time: The History of an Elusive Ideal.” We discuss a broad historical explanation of why our affluent society does not afford more time away from work and why that time is often unsatisfying.

We begin with a survey of the past 250 years to understand the roots of our conception of free time and its use. By the end of the nineteenth century, a common expectation was that industrial innovations would lead to a progressive reduction of work time and a subsequent rise in free time devoted to self-development and social engagement. However, despite significant changes in the early twentieth century, both goals were frustrated, thus leading to the contemporary dilemma.

Cross touches on leisure of all kinds, from peasant festivals and aristocratic pleasure gardens to amusement parks, movie theaters and organized sports to internet surfing, and even the use of alcohol and drugs. This wide-ranging cultural and social history explores the industrial-era origins of our modern obsession with work and productivity, but also the historical efforts to liberate time from work and cultivate free time for culture.

Transcript

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0:00.0	It's got here with another episode, The History Unplugged Podcast.
0:07.0	The expectation that everybody is entitled to free time and time off of work, whether for holidays or vacation or really any reason, is a surprisingly new one.
0:17.0	Leisure was historically the privilege of the upper class and only available to those who could pay for it.
0:22.0	As rising technology levels in industrialization in the 19th century led to higher productivity,
0:27.2	wages increased and free time trickle down to the middle and working classes starting in Great
0:31.5	Britain and spring to other rich nations in Europe.
0:34.0	When it now became possible for anyone in society
0:36.6	to take time off of work and focus on personal interest,
0:39.0	there's widespread optimism that this would lead to wide-scale cultural flourishing.
0:43.0	Many people thought that increased efficiency and industrialization
0:46.0	would lead to a reduction of work
0:48.0	and a rise in free time devoted to self-development and social engagement.
0:51.0	But something happened where productivity and free time
0:53.4	were decoupled in the 20th century. The total amount of work needed to fulfill
0:57.4	a society's needs should have dropped significantly, yet reported hours of free time
1:01.8	and most Western nations have never been lower.
1:04.3	To explore why is today's guest Gary Cross, author of the book Free Time, The History of an elusive
1:09.4	ideal. We look at the argument that the very foundation of a culture is leisure, but why this usually isn't the case in industrialized societies and what the past can tell us about the future.
1:19.0	Hope we enjoy this discussion with Gary Cross.
1:26.1	And one more thing before we get started with this episode, a quick break for word from our sponsors.
1:28.1	Listen up. This February. Oh my God, you're Ellie Conway.
1:33.3	I am such a fan.
	...

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