3 ms·

I could agree with you on a personal level, but not for society. Solutions to phone overuse need to scale to a large amount of people, and I doubt we can ever r

I could agree with you on a personal level, but not for society. Solutions to phone overuse need to scale to a large amount of people, and I doubt we can ever reach a point where: 1. "People" completely delete social media. It's already part of our lives, especially in newer generations. 2. "People" separate cameras and smartphones. Having both together is too convenient. "People" refers to the general population, outside the tech bubble. Those interested in using less their phone, but not willing to make huge sacrifices for it. It's similar to dumbphones -- sure, they fix the issue, but not everyone can switch to one.

taylodl 2y ago
I know several people from Gen Z who are outside of the tech bubble and have removed social media apps from their phones. It was the only means they could preserve their sanity. Millennials on the other hand - they're sunk. I know way too many who are totally addicted to their phones. I think part of their problem is they didn't grow up with it and realize they had to deal with the issue. They still believe they don't. WRT cameras - sure! Keep the camera on the phone! It's great for those snapshots. Without social media apps on your phone, it'll also force you to focus on capturing a memory rather than capturing an image to share on social media. When you have to use your tablet/laptop to access social media, which means you have to wait until you have access to your tablet/laptop, you have to transfer the image from your phone to the tablet/laptop - what a PITA! - you're going to start using more discretion to what you're sharing and whether it's even worth the trouble to share it. Which is actually improving social media for everyone.
- nullderef 2y ago
  Do you think there's something that can be done in the area other than education?
  - taylodl 2y ago
    Off the cuff I can think of a couple of things: - A global notifications manager. Manages all you notification settings for all apps globally. Maybe apps will be arranged and managed by type? - An application vault. You don't want to remove your social media apps from your phone? Stick them in the vault. Applications in the vault can be restricted for when they may be launched, how long the application may be active when launched, and how much time must have elapsed since the application was last active before being activated again.
    - nullderef 2y ago
      The notifications feature sounds similar to what iOS 18 will have. Maybe you'll like it -- https://www.engagelab.com/blog/ios-18-priority-notifications https://www.engagelab.com/blog/ios-18-priority-notifications. I find this better than having to manage your notification settings manually. With so many apps it'd be hard to keep the config up to date. The second idea sounds very similar to just setting strict time limits to an app. I guess the hard part is finding a kind of limit that works for everyone.

taylodl 2y ago

I know several people from Gen Z who are outside of the tech bubble and have removed social media apps from their phones. It was the only means they could preserve their sanity. Millennials on the other hand - they're sunk. I know way too many who are totally addicted to their phones. I think part of their problem is they didn't grow up with it and realize they had to deal with the issue. They still believe they don't. WRT cameras - sure! Keep the camera on the phone! It's great for those snapshots. Without social media apps on your phone, it'll also force you to focus on capturing a memory rather than capturing an image to share on social media. When you have to use your tablet/laptop to access social media, which means you have to wait until you have access to your tablet/laptop, you have to transfer the image from your phone to the tablet/laptop - what a PITA! - you're going to start using more discretion to what you're sharing and whether it's even worth the trouble to share it. Which is actually improving social media for everyone.

nullderef 2y ago
Do you think there's something that can be done in the area other than education?
- taylodl 2y ago
  Off the cuff I can think of a couple of things: - A global notifications manager. Manages all you notification settings for all apps globally. Maybe apps will be arranged and managed by type? - An application vault. You don't want to remove your social media apps from your phone? Stick them in the vault. Applications in the vault can be restricted for when they may be launched, how long the application may be active when launched, and how much time must have elapsed since the application was last active before being activated again.
  - nullderef 2y ago
    The notifications feature sounds similar to what iOS 18 will have. Maybe you'll like it -- https://www.engagelab.com/blog/ios-18-priority-notifications https://www.engagelab.com/blog/ios-18-priority-notifications. I find this better than having to manage your notification settings manually. With so many apps it'd be hard to keep the config up to date. The second idea sounds very similar to just setting strict time limits to an app. I guess the hard part is finding a kind of limit that works for everyone.