Pulling back from the algorithm

[GideonWilhelm]

I'm new around here, I'd found nostalgia and joy in the oldweb, but then I got sucked back into youtube, into the ragebait cycle, into social media and fights with strangers online... it took a lot out of me.  But I've nuked my facebook, and pulled away from youtube, and started exploring neocities and nekoweb when I get bored, rather than scrolling feeds for something to interest me.  It's been a few days, but thus far, it's really not as scary as I thought it'd be.  I'd even dare to call it refreshing.  I drove to and from work without music, too, and it's kind of amazing what you can notice about the sights and sounds of the world around you if you really tune yourself into your surroundings and think about what you're experiencing.  Anyway, I got blazed before bed and started thinking about life.  Thanks for reading my ramblings.  I love you.

[TheFrugalGamer]

Yeah, I think in our busy world, with everything competing for our attention, it's easy to forget that we should let our minds "rest" and wander for a little bit. I didn't get into doing that until recently, myself, though it was mostly related to trauma rather than social media addiction. I've discovered that I can watch the birds and insects in my garden for ages, wondering about what's going on in their heads.

One pair of birds (I imagine they're mates, but who knows) was hopping around in my yard, and one of them kept yelling at the other for some reason. No idea what they were trying to communicate, but it was amusing imagining a harried husband bird who can Do Nothing Right according to his bird wife.

One thing I try to do is redirect myself to read books (or blog posts) when I notice I'm going the "endless scroll" thing. There's been a marked change in my mood, and I've learned a lot as well. I've also noticed that it's easier to tear myself away with practice.

[HJ]

ne of them kept yelling at the other for some reason

You may have been seeing a parent bird and their baby. Lots of birds follow mom and dad around and continue to beg for food, even after they've left the nest.

I set app limits and even downloaded an app to lock up youtube after 1 hour. The only way to unlock it is a password that someone else knows. I've also been going to the library once or twice a week and getting reading done at night before bed. I completely stopped using any app that has the infinite scroll feature. Then, I turn off both wifi and mobile data so i can't use internet on my phone. It took me a long time to find what works for me. For a while it was the dumb phone... but I found that I needed some features that my smartphone has (unlocking door FOBs, navigation, sending pictures and links, ride-share, etc.)

[musicobsessed107]

You may have been seeing a parent bird and their baby. Lots of birds follow mom and dad around and continue to beg for food, even after they've left the nest.

I set app limits and even downloaded an app to lock up youtube after 1 hour. The only way to unlock it is a password that someone else knows. I've also been going to the library once or twice a week and getting reading done at night before bed. I completely stopped using any app that has the infinite scroll feature. Then, I turn off both wifi and mobile data so i can't use internet on my phone. It took me a long time to find what works for me. For a while it was the dumb phone... but I found that I needed some features that my smartphone has (unlocking door FOBs, navigation, sending pictures and links, ride-share, etc.)

Personally, what I would do if I were you is keep the dumbphone and the smartphone, but put the smartphone on the cheapest limited/no data plan you can find, delete all nonessential applications on it (including ones for social media), and keep it on airplane mode indefinitely, effectively turning it into and using it as a PDA (which were almost like smartphones back in their day, except did not have calling or texting features).

I'm saying this as someone who may unfortunately have to get a stupid little "smart"phone again next year upon transferring to a 4 year university ONLY because I plan to live on campus and the website says washing machine payments are done through some sort of (cr)app, with no mentions of cash or credit/debit card payment options. I have a very specific model in mind - the Unihertz Titan Pocket from 2021, though I will still be keeping my flip phone as my main line (the one I use as an actual cellphone) and the Titan Pocket will be stripped and modded as much as I can get and need it to be to function only as a personal digital assistant with ONLY what I actually require on there for school and connected to a cheap and highly limited plan. And yes, I plan on getting a little stylus to use with it as well.

[milo]

Personally, what I would do if I were you is keep the dumbphone and the smartphone, but put the smartphone on the cheapest limited/no data plan you can find, delete all nonessential applications on it (including ones for social media), and keep it on airplane mode indefinitely, effectively turning it into and using it as a PDA (which were almost like smartphones back in their day, except did not have calling or texting features).

I'm saying this as someone who may unfortunately have to get a stupid little "smart"phone again next year upon transferring to a 4 year university ONLY because I plan to live on campus and the website says washing machine payments are done through some sort of (cr)app, with no mentions of cash or credit/debit card payment options. I have a very specific model in mind - the Unihertz Titan Pocket from 2021, though I will still be keeping my flip phone as my main line (the one I use as an actual cellphone) and the Titan Pocket will be stripped and modded as much as I can get and need it to be to function only as a personal digital assistant with ONLY what I actually require on there for school and connected to a cheap and highly limited plan. And yes, I plan on getting a little stylus to use with it as well.

This is exactly what I've been planning on trying to do. The dumb phone idea is really enticing to me, but because of my work I still need to be mostly reachable in a modern way a lot of the time and can't really afford to go fully off-the-grid. Keeping my current smart phone as an auxiliary tablet that I can connect to wifi while I use the dumb phone to do all my phone stuff sounds like a neat idea.