The Industrial Revolution Was Supposed to Lead to Unlimited Free Time But Only Gave Us Smartphones and Endless Dopamine

History Unplugged Podcast

History Unplugged

Society & Culture, History

4.2 • 3.7K Ratings

🗓️ 26 August 2025

⏱️ 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.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Scott here with another episode of the History and Plug podcast. Free time is one of life's most
0:08.8	important commodities, but often feels unfulfilling, stuff with Netflix, doom scrolling, and other
0:14.4	activities that make you feel like a dopamine slug once it's all over. But why is that? And how did
0:20.0	leisure activities transition from strolling in
0:22.1	the park for hours to smartphone activities are a lot less fulfilling? Despite the promise of modern
0:26.6	industrialization, many people experience both a scarcity of free time and a disappointment in it. In this
0:31.2	rebroadcast episode, I'm speaking to Gary Cross, author of Free Time, The History of an Illusive
0:35.7	Ideal. We discuss a broad historical explanation
0:38.3	of why our fluid society doesn't afford more time away from work, for why that time is unsatisfying.
0:42.5	By the end of the 19th century, a common expectation was that industrial innovations would lead
0:47.2	to a progressive reduction of work time and a rise in free time devoted to self-development
0:51.7	and social engagement. There would be more peasant festivals
0:54.6	and aristocratic pleasure gardens, movie theaters, and organized sports. How are all of these
0:59.3	things hijacked and what can we do about it? Hope we enjoy this discussion. And one more thing
1:06.2	before we get started with this episode, a quick break for a word from our sponsors.
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1:44.0	Before exploring the modern idea free time, it'd be useful to contrast it with what came before.
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