I use an app called OffScreen and now keep to 1 hour a day looking at my phone.
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Did you see this article @Hierbas posted in the reading thread?
Talks about taking the internet out of the control of big tech and ‘rewilding’ it.
It’s a great read.
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Yes, agree, it’s a great read. Nice to read some solutions.
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An alternative is to make your smartphone into almost a dumb-phone that only has the key apps you need (e.g., WhatsApp) because, damn them, they are nicer to use and look at than an actual dumb-phone inc B35! Loads of tips on t’internet, but is the temptation to go back too easily sated eg:
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Thats a good idea
Id keep Google Maps / Podcasts / Music / Whatsapp / Calender & Payment Apps
My only question is what do you need to do if flying / trains / concerts - Get a printer for home!
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Very butch though
Blue collar for sure.
WhatsApp web for QR tickets from computer to phone maybe.
Yep! I think my wife’s got one to be fair
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More enshittification:
This post might ring more “the internet dilemma” than anything else, but I believe it’s an extension of what I’ve said here regarding social media in the past, so hear it goes nonetheless.
I feel, in many respects, I’ve hit an event horizon in terms of the internet. There is no light and what I used to enjoy, now only frustrates me. Every site. Even this site.
Mentally, it feels there is nothing for me, anywhere. I only find frustration and the digital world I see, while very obviously not a reflection of actual reality, is a truly grotesque and dystopian caricature. It’s just a shame to feel that way, when I feel like I limit myself well enough and have done what I can to cater the experience.
To me, it feels both reactive to how I’m feeling mentally and how I’m perceiving people and the sorry state of affairs that the world is in. It’s not working for me, none of it is. At some point, you have to wash your hands of it I think and just move on, because why keep beating my head against that wall. Life is hard enough. I can’t help the internet so maybe I just need help.
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I hope you can find a good space somewhere, look after your self.
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I’ve cut down my internet use massively as I find about 99% of it pointless and a waste of the limited time we have.
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In these moments, I find nature is the answer
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Having been required to do a lot of juggling recently, I find the whole internet thing both very useful and very frustrating. Can get a lot done, but it also means a lot is asked from you. A long way from Be Here Now. And I don’t really use social media. Just talking basic communications here.
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Thank you for the kind replies. Was not in a good head space when I wrote that, as you can tell. Been struggling a lot lately with life stuff, heartbreak, etc., won’t get into that but it’s certainly amplified regular mental struggles of mine. The internet being a big one. Like Jackdaw sort of had to say; it has a lot to do with sheer web traversal, both recreationally and by necessity, and the toll that can take if you aren’t mindful. I’ve further limited my time and now try and not use the phone to surf at all, computer only, which seems to have helped a little.
Also planned a (needed) vacation for Oct., will be nice to unplug and just navigate the world as we used to.
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Oh, yeah! I have an absolute rule, which I hardly ever break, to not use the phone for any sort of surfing. Besides, I admit it, Spotify-type checking of music. Otherwise it’s strictly emails, text, specific searches for businesses or products. Although I occasionally actually talk to people on it. What is the world coming to? One-to-one conversation in real time? Oh, and photos. Any damn thing. Then I sometimes look at them to remind myself of what I did yesterday. When someone makes an app to photograph what you’re going to do tomorrow, then I’ll really pay attention.
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Scariest photo ever!
But fake? Just asking.
Having read through the comments above and looked around the real world a bit, I’m thinking that the problem of social/phones will resolve itself to some extent. Many people here are edging away after intense use and this mirrors what I’ve picked up in wider contexts. Lots of 20 year olds that I see around on the streets are not using phones. I see teens pretty mesmerized and middle-aged men. Professional woman with long nails. Non-professional woman with chewed nails. Youngsters without phones seem happier. Some old farts often seem pretty obsessed, but that’s probably ‘cos they can’t figure out how the damn things work. That’s my excuse when I walk into a lamp post anyway. Beats being drunk. Or does it?