My four step kids have no idea what boredom is. I, however, do, and found most of my creative endeavours and hobbies arose when I was bored. I'm pretty sure if boredom wasn't the alternative, I wouldn't have learned the guitar, or spent many hours daydreaming science fiction fantasies.
I think you may have missed the point of the article if that's your take on it. Its not about deliberately mining boredom, it's that being constantly "entertained" by social media means you will not enter the mind state where creativity can reach significant peaks.
> A union is a huge additional layer of bureaucracy.
They can be, undoubtedly.
But don't forget the times when they go into bat to defend the rights of workers who have been treated badly by their employers - whether during employment or when they have been made redundant and procedures have not been followed correctly. When you're a part-time worker who is in a union who has very little input in your day-to-day work, but they come to your rescue with a considerable amount of legal muscle behind you in such a situation, the £10 a month you've paid them looks like very good value indeed.
I totally get that unions can be the embodiment of self-protection and bureaucracy, and can lead to expensive and crazy situations (indeed when I see some union leaders here in the UK it appears that is their desire). But that isn't all they are there for - they can also help the little guy out when their back is against the wall.
I did so about 2 years, and haven't been back other than when programming sites livestream on Facebook (which I hate!)... it is possible, and once you're away, I think life is much better, aside from being viewed as a bit of a weirdo by friends who don't share the same view on FB, and think I'm a tinfoil-hat nutter.
Unfortunately I still have messenger* because that's the way all my friends and kids communicate, but if there was another platform they were all on I'd delete my FB account tomorrow.
* Yes, i know what that all means in terms of 'sticking it to the man'!