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I think most of us have gone through this rollercoaster. The iPhone was my first smartphone and I was like a kid in a toy store. I simply couldn't get enough of
by salesynerd 2y ago
I think most of us have gone through this rollercoaster. The iPhone was my first smartphone and I was like a kid in a toy store. I simply couldn't get enough of discovering new apps in new categories and the instant access to all the news, posts, etc. that I wanted.
Luckily for me, I was never hooked on the social media apps. In fact, I deleted my Facebook account when it was at its peak.
My crack/dopamine/heroin has been news and related apps. At one point, I was consuming content from 15-20 news sites on a daily basis. Likewise, I was heavily browsing Hacker News and LinkedIn.
However, as I turned 50, I took stock of my habits and how they are impacting my health, especially eyesight and sleep. I decided something needs to change.
So, I have uninstalled all my time-wasting apps and have installed the mLauncher from F-Droid. Also, I now read books mostly on my Kobo.
These are small changes and I still go back to my old ways, once in a while. But, I'm determined to kick this addiction.
- hiharryhere 2y agoI’m similar. I’ve just done a few things to dumb down my iPhone. No notifications etc. I could happily avoid social media but safari is by far my biggest time wasting app. News as well as googling random interesting things all day and then ending up going down random rabbit holes on niche topics. Also not a great use of time because I end up learning a little trivia on lots of stuff, nothing particularly useful. I want my phone so I have a good camera on photos of my kid, managing my business, maps and small daily things like being able to sign my kid into daycare. I can delete the time wasting apps… except safari is the main offender.
- bboygravity 2y agoWhat you don't read about is news, all else is publicity. (some paraphrased quote)
- nytesky 2y agoWow, we definitely had a similar path, though my internet addiction started in college where I would download freeware programs and games via ftp or browse through gopher. Used to write long email messages often. News was a big problem for me, especially in the 00s when the housing bubble was roaring and I wanted to buy a house and trying to figure out if we really should spend 10x what our parents had ever earned for a condo… Today, forget Insta and Snap, I follow HN and a parenting blog way way too much, and ads are not really part of the equation. I wonder what drives this compulsion? Anxiety? Lonelines? Actual addiction (alcoholism is common in my family). I know my dad felt compelled to watch the evening news EVERY night and some people ready NYT cover to cover, is that similar?