I finally bit the bullet and scheduled my Instagram account for deletion. I will no longer be able to access it starting from March. It's hard, but I'm trying to use my phone more as a tool for texting/calling/arranging in-person meetups. I'm not perfect, sometimes I get stuck scrolling substack for hours, but I've noticed that having more time to read and have life experiences makes me want to write more often.
I got rid of Instagram on my phone (I know scroll Substack instead) and the main change is that I can hold longer discussions and have a better grasp on more complex arguments when I need to express them. Like my brain doesn’t lose interest in my own sentence mid way because it was longer than an instagram reel.
I recently started a detox from social media mostly from tiktok which I stopped using completely. After a month without it I really can tell there's something different, one of the most notorious things I've experienced is that I don't have one of those tiktok audios echoing in my head anymore. Also, now is easier for me to stay engaged in a conversation or even giving all my attention to the person I am talking with. I don't think social media is completely bad, I really believe (currently working on that part) that you can have a healthy relationship with social media, suitable for whatever lifestyle you want to choose. It just takes time and a lot of patience with yourself.
I think the best solution is to use an app blocker on your phone like opal.so; or, if you want to avoid the cost of that, use browser extensions to alter the user experience—e.g. recommendation blockers for YouTube.
It is unreasonable to think you can use willpower to resist the corruption of thousands of engineers stealing your focus, so instead place enforceable barriers to your participation in this slave economy.
If you can switch off, switch off. If not, then create systems of enforcement to limit your access by simply locking you out from those systems.
Useful tool judiciously used for countering the shit show and energizing people who are crashing under the load of feces being dumped on we the people. Chillin Friday
It's been nearly four weeks now I've experimented with cutting down screen time on my phone (at least social media) I still look at it for weather/music/podcasts etc. but I've cut it down to on average 15 minutes a day which is huge from nearly 2 hours a day.
"Social media companies don’t want you to go out and have fun with your friends—they want you to look at pictures of your friends having fun without you."
I'm so glad you said this; it makes me feel less pathetic and unable to control my weak, doom-scrolling urges and more inclined blame a corporation who doesn't care how much sleep I get.
I love this post and this substack! I recently listened to a podcast interview with Jean Twenge about the detrimental effects of social media. That in addition to the book Stolen Focus lit a fire under me to decrease my phone usage. I've been on a few silent meditation retreats (short ones), and one of the most refreshing parts was simply turning my phone off for 48 hours. For those of us born in the 80s or earlier, we at least have the memory of what life was like without cell phones. The feeling of being bored is important I think, even though we naturally don't want to feel it. The solution I have settled on is a "dumb phone" but I can't find one available that has the features I want (mainly maps). I know such a phone is possible, and one even exists but is oddly not in production currently-- https://boringphone.com/ There are a few others that are even more spartan. Please let me know if anyone sees other phones comparable to that (or other solutions, like a way to delete Internet and email from the Iphone) and if anyone has theories as to why these phones don't exist, I'd be interested as well.
Thank you Meri, I'm glad you are enjoying the Substack. In Stolen Focus, the author mentions a phone called the Jitterbug, that is mainly for elderly people who don't want the bells and whistles.
Thank you! It looks like the Jitterbug smart phone with maps has an internet browser which I'm looking to avoid. I know my self control will be no match for the internet if it exists on the phone! :) But it still might be worth checking into since it might not be able to do many things that well. It's funny to be seeking out a worse/less appealing piece of technology.
"I have turned this into an economic event." A sobering sentence that will slow me the next time I careen into "sharing" a golden hour that only wanted to be lived.
Thanks for this excellent piece Sara! I have been writing about this exact issue over the last two months and have invited my reader community to join in a 30-day digital detox during the month of May based on Cal Newport's Digital Minimalism (see https://schooloftheunconformed.substack.com/p/from-feeding-moloch-to-digital-minimalism). I do not own a smartphone, but still experience the lure of devices. For this month I have set myself a slice of time before breakfast to read articles and respond to messages (such as now); after that my laptop goes on top of the bookshelf and stays there until the next day. It is a very liberating practice --that would certainly not be practicable by many --but my daily life as a homeschool mother and coordinator allows for this digital freedom.
The shift away from any device during the day has had notable positive ripple effects for my family (not to mention the household, garden, and time spent reading, writing, and talking over coffee). It has been so positive indeed that there will be no going back for me after the detox at the end of the month. This will remain my new more cognitively liberated normal; I simply cannot fathom going back into the land of engineered enslavement after having tasted the fullness and depth of everyday reality again.
wow, that sounds amazing. Ironically, this great experience of being on Substack is now making more fixated on my screen than I've been in a long time. But I'm working on it! Thanks for the inspiration.
Yeah, this is one of my weaknesses for sure. Ever since I got ahold of my first computer, I’ve been glued to devices since. But I will admit that I spend a lot of time both scrolling and reading, and I’ve been a lifelong avid reader. What I have cut back down on, though, are digital subscriptions. It felt good to cut those metaphorical chords because I couldn’t take one more streaming subscription. They all add up and seem pricier than cable. Just have to work on downloading Kindle reads, though, lol!
This whole paragraph really rang true for me, but especially the sleep piece. I had never considered that side of it before.
“Social media companies don’t want you to go out and have fun with your friends—they want you to look at pictures of your friends having fun without you. Tech companies don’t want you to put down your phone and read a book, and they definitely don’t want you to turn off the light and go to sleep. Sleep is bad for the economy.”
Great read! Have you read the anxious generation by Jonathan haidt? Super compelling on this topic, especially from a data perspective.
Thanks! I haven’t read Haidt yet
I finally bit the bullet and scheduled my Instagram account for deletion. I will no longer be able to access it starting from March. It's hard, but I'm trying to use my phone more as a tool for texting/calling/arranging in-person meetups. I'm not perfect, sometimes I get stuck scrolling substack for hours, but I've noticed that having more time to read and have life experiences makes me want to write more often.
Nice! I deleted the app, along with X and Facebook, but haven't had the courage to fully pull that trigger yet!
Good read.
thanks!
I got rid of Instagram on my phone (I know scroll Substack instead) and the main change is that I can hold longer discussions and have a better grasp on more complex arguments when I need to express them. Like my brain doesn’t lose interest in my own sentence mid way because it was longer than an instagram reel.
Yes, I got rid of Instagram too since writing this. I like seeing friends and family pics, but too much stuff I never signed up for!
I recently started a detox from social media mostly from tiktok which I stopped using completely. After a month without it I really can tell there's something different, one of the most notorious things I've experienced is that I don't have one of those tiktok audios echoing in my head anymore. Also, now is easier for me to stay engaged in a conversation or even giving all my attention to the person I am talking with. I don't think social media is completely bad, I really believe (currently working on that part) that you can have a healthy relationship with social media, suitable for whatever lifestyle you want to choose. It just takes time and a lot of patience with yourself.
Love this! And yes, I've done a partial detox too.
I think the best solution is to use an app blocker on your phone like opal.so; or, if you want to avoid the cost of that, use browser extensions to alter the user experience—e.g. recommendation blockers for YouTube.
It is unreasonable to think you can use willpower to resist the corruption of thousands of engineers stealing your focus, so instead place enforceable barriers to your participation in this slave economy.
If you can switch off, switch off. If not, then create systems of enforcement to limit your access by simply locking you out from those systems.
Useful tool judiciously used for countering the shit show and energizing people who are crashing under the load of feces being dumped on we the people. Chillin Friday
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1D5ocaYhCy/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Thanks so much for opening this one up - I screeched with rage and threw my husband’s slipper across the room reading the excerpt about sleep.
Ha, very appropriate response!
It's been nearly four weeks now I've experimented with cutting down screen time on my phone (at least social media) I still look at it for weather/music/podcasts etc. but I've cut it down to on average 15 minutes a day which is huge from nearly 2 hours a day.
That's amazing--and very inspiring!
"Social media companies don’t want you to go out and have fun with your friends—they want you to look at pictures of your friends having fun without you."
I'm so glad you said this; it makes me feel less pathetic and unable to control my weak, doom-scrolling urges and more inclined blame a corporation who doesn't care how much sleep I get.
Oh, believe me -- even after writing that post and inhaling Hari's book, I STILL doomscroll. Glad the piece helped!
I love this post and this substack! I recently listened to a podcast interview with Jean Twenge about the detrimental effects of social media. That in addition to the book Stolen Focus lit a fire under me to decrease my phone usage. I've been on a few silent meditation retreats (short ones), and one of the most refreshing parts was simply turning my phone off for 48 hours. For those of us born in the 80s or earlier, we at least have the memory of what life was like without cell phones. The feeling of being bored is important I think, even though we naturally don't want to feel it. The solution I have settled on is a "dumb phone" but I can't find one available that has the features I want (mainly maps). I know such a phone is possible, and one even exists but is oddly not in production currently-- https://boringphone.com/ There are a few others that are even more spartan. Please let me know if anyone sees other phones comparable to that (or other solutions, like a way to delete Internet and email from the Iphone) and if anyone has theories as to why these phones don't exist, I'd be interested as well.
Thank you Meri, I'm glad you are enjoying the Substack. In Stolen Focus, the author mentions a phone called the Jitterbug, that is mainly for elderly people who don't want the bells and whistles.
Thank you! It looks like the Jitterbug smart phone with maps has an internet browser which I'm looking to avoid. I know my self control will be no match for the internet if it exists on the phone! :) But it still might be worth checking into since it might not be able to do many things that well. It's funny to be seeking out a worse/less appealing piece of technology.
"I have turned this into an economic event." A sobering sentence that will slow me the next time I careen into "sharing" a golden hour that only wanted to be lived.
Nice way to put it
Thanks for this excellent piece Sara! I have been writing about this exact issue over the last two months and have invited my reader community to join in a 30-day digital detox during the month of May based on Cal Newport's Digital Minimalism (see https://schooloftheunconformed.substack.com/p/from-feeding-moloch-to-digital-minimalism). I do not own a smartphone, but still experience the lure of devices. For this month I have set myself a slice of time before breakfast to read articles and respond to messages (such as now); after that my laptop goes on top of the bookshelf and stays there until the next day. It is a very liberating practice --that would certainly not be practicable by many --but my daily life as a homeschool mother and coordinator allows for this digital freedom.
The shift away from any device during the day has had notable positive ripple effects for my family (not to mention the household, garden, and time spent reading, writing, and talking over coffee). It has been so positive indeed that there will be no going back for me after the detox at the end of the month. This will remain my new more cognitively liberated normal; I simply cannot fathom going back into the land of engineered enslavement after having tasted the fullness and depth of everyday reality again.
wow, that sounds amazing. Ironically, this great experience of being on Substack is now making more fixated on my screen than I've been in a long time. But I'm working on it! Thanks for the inspiration.
I read Stolen Focus last year, it was so good! 👏🏼
Yeah, this is one of my weaknesses for sure. Ever since I got ahold of my first computer, I’ve been glued to devices since. But I will admit that I spend a lot of time both scrolling and reading, and I’ve been a lifelong avid reader. What I have cut back down on, though, are digital subscriptions. It felt good to cut those metaphorical chords because I couldn’t take one more streaming subscription. They all add up and seem pricier than cable. Just have to work on downloading Kindle reads, though, lol!
yeah, all works in progress!
This whole paragraph really rang true for me, but especially the sleep piece. I had never considered that side of it before.
“Social media companies don’t want you to go out and have fun with your friends—they want you to look at pictures of your friends having fun without you. Tech companies don’t want you to put down your phone and read a book, and they definitely don’t want you to turn off the light and go to sleep. Sleep is bad for the economy.”
Thanks--yeah, the sleep thing kind of blew my mind when I first read about it! You'd probably really like Stolen Focus!