/b/ - Random

I like to think we hit a ceiling for how bad it will get and its only a matter of time before we see a steady reversion. No idea how much longer before the decline begins though.

Recently I've been getting sick of my phone. I don't want to be hunched over looking into a small screen anymore. I need to look at wide open scenes. I deleted a bunch of apps and put it in a drawer now.

>>299728
In the past few years some have started using 'dumbphones'. I don't know if it will ever become mainstream, but there has definitely been some pushback. A lot of zoomers are now aware that their phones are a root cause of their issues, but I feel like it's not enough for people to detach from the screen.

>>299728
Some countries are starting to take legal measures like Australia banning social media for children, I think we will see more of that

>>299587
I've noticed this in myself and have taken steps to mitigate my phone addiction lately. Mostly purging a bunch of apps, deleting social media (including anonymous SM like Reddit and Xitter, never really used IG or FB to begin with), setting time limits on the apps I've retained, and putting my phone in greyscale. What I've noticed is that I've grown accustomed to using my phone as a security blanket/pacifier in public – it's easy to avoid eye contact and drown out sensory overload by turning to my phone. It takes a lot of discipline to train myself to just sit there and absorb my surroundings, but I'm working on it. It's actually refreshing to feel the constant pull of the phone recede. Now I'm hoping some of my friends pick up the same habits, since it's getting to be annoying going out to dinner and seeing everyone dive into their phones the moment there's a lull in the conversation.

As for me personally, I got app fatigue years ago and now only have one app on my phone that isn’t a native app, and it’s a web browser. I deleted and disabled as many native apps as I could. I still use a few of them like Calendar, Maps, and Mail. I realized I was still using my phone way too much, so I went into Screen Time settings and changed the web settings to “limit adult websites” and plugged in the most addicting websites. Out of habit, I will still open my mobile web browser, but now I stare at it blankly trying to remember which website I can easily browse until I put my phone away. As for my computer activity, I also got account fatigue years ago. Now I sperg out on going through my emails and deleting any account I have as well as deleting all my emails. I want to eventually delete both my Apple ID and Google account and just…not do the technology anymore, but I have a long way to go.

I've become so anti phone/internet it's crazy. I grew up for years and years browsing the internet so I've been very put off by what things have become. Sometimes I think about throwing my phone into a river and running off into the woods. Everyone in my life that is addicted to their phone has suffered and I've seen the consequences first hand, so I refuse to become a part of the system. The major problem is I feel so lonely and disconnected from everyone since people my age seem to be obsessed with social media.

I use my phone mostly for music and texting and audiobooks. Going on any sites for entertainment and looking stuff up is for my computer. When I have the money, I am going to buy a dumb phone. I don't care if I have music in public until i get an mp3. Funny thing, I was hearing people complain about the tiktok ban but those people truly do not get the mental health and societal impacts of screen usage. Social media, in my opinion has led to more jealousy and divisiveness and a general lack of empathy and has messed with our social bonding potential.

I still use a dumb-phone with buttons. But i don't mind when my friends just quietly poke their phones in a corner, then at least i don't have to listen to their monologues.

Yes. Its kinda depressing. I was never the kinda person to be addicted to social media but once I started wageslaving I started winding down every day watching YT. Then I hated myself for letting myself fall into it. So I disabled youtube. Im afraid for the children though. I grew up on screens, but I feel like it wasnt as bad because there was no tiktok when I was a kid. Idk. It makes me sad to think about.

For me, it's music. I've had to consciously prevent myself from getting bluetooth headphones so I don't always have music blasting in my ears all the time, which means I can go outside and listen to silence and birds occasionally. Otherwise I'd lapse into the old habits of not talking to anyone for weeks on end and just listening to music all the time. It does mean that I don't dance as often as I would with headphones, since I live with other people so I don't want to crank my speakers too loud.

As far as internet goes, I've essentially decided to identify as a netizen. I'm much more "from the internet" than I am from either the country I was born in or the country I live in. I'm happy to be addicted to technology, because as a millennial I remember when it was kind of a cyberpunk futuristic thing to be online all the time. But since I don't use normie social media most of the time, I get to learn a lot. It's nice to still be on the frontiers.

>>302045
Music rarely noticed but its effect is huge. Sounds constantly eliciting mind states and emotions. This is self-brainwashing, I feel.
I've dropped reddit and music (three weeks). The result is more reading, actual writing, lucidity, and I've been able to follow some train of thoughts further away. I also spend some time on smaller websites (nothing compared to the hours lost on the big R).
Time will tell, but it feels like things are getting worse in terms of content manipulation. Now looks like a good time to quit, yesterday was better, tomorrow will be harder I suspect.

>>302186
What about music in public spaces?

>>299587
#2's not that crazy in a world where people ghost multi year relationships and friendships - it can happen at any time, to anyone, for any reason