{"id":2746,"date":"2022-07-27T12:15:57","date_gmt":"2022-07-27T11:15:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.danijel.org\/blog\/?p=2746"},"modified":"2022-07-27T12:15:57","modified_gmt":"2022-07-27T11:15:57","slug":"smartphone-to-dumbphone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.danijel.org\/blog\/smartphone-to-dumbphone\/","title":{"rendered":"Smartphone to dumbphone?"},"content":{"rendered":"

For some reason I got a few videos<\/a> about switching from smartphone to dumbphone and back in my YouTube stream, so I actually checked them out because the idea seemed bizarre. It turned out that some people are so overwhelmed by a smartphone that they just can\u2019t leave it alone; they constantly find things to do with it, from social media to all the music and stuff you can listen on it, that their entire lives get absorbed in it. The reason why I find it bizarre is that my iPhone sits somewhere on the desk all day and I use it only for internet banking purposes (because Revolut, for instance, doesn\u2019t have a desktop app so I have to use a mobile device) or when someone calls me; basically, when I\u2019m home, I either don\u2019t use it at all, or I use it for very specific things, the way I use a tootbrush or a coffee cup. When I\u2019m going out, I put it in my pocket and basically forget about it, unless I want to check something. I\u2019m probably the least typical smartphone user; I don\u2019t use social media at all, I don\u2019t listen to music or watch videos on my phone, but I do actually need a smartphone, because when I need it, it\u2019s for checking some website or chat or map or things like that; my \u201cscreen on\u201d time on the phone is perhaps five minutes a day, if even that. Still, I do kind of understand the problem people are having with them; it\u2019s just that I get stuck on YouTube, watching hours of political, tech or historical videos, and it\u2019s quite easy to lose the whole day like that. Still, I don\u2019t consider it a loss; I want to keep informed in order to understand what\u2019s going on, and analysis of the kind I\u2019m doing requires keeping tabs on multiple data streams, but I occasionally find myself watching something that\u2019s so far off-tangent that I wonder how I got there in the first place.<\/p>\n

In any case, I think I\u2019ve been doing it long enough that I can offer advice on how to manage addictive and time-consuming things on the Internet.<\/p>\n

First, you need to be focused, as opposed to scatter-brained, and disciplined, in a sense of being in charge and not just clicking on shit that\u2019s in front of you.<\/p>\n

Second, you need to take breaks \u2013 take a long walk, or exercise, or something else that has nothing to do with either computers or the Internet. It doesn\u2019t count if you use your phone in any way while doing it.<\/p>\n

Third, no using the phone in the car. I can\u2019t even tell you how annoying I find the people who drive while doing something on their phones, not to mention that it\u2019s dangerous.<\/p>\n

Fourth, when you\u2019re with someone, talk to them. Don\u2019t even touch the phone.<\/p>\n

Fifth, do specific things, and when you\u2019re done, let go of the phone, or the computer. Don\u2019t fidget with it because you\u2019ll always find something on it that will preoccupy your attention and waste your time. It\u2019s a tool, not your connection with God.<\/p>\n

Sixth, use an ad-blocker and similar tools for de-cluttering your screen. Don\u2019t watch ads, don\u2019t watch useless \u201centertaining\u201d garbage, avoid live chats in favor of email and forums. Avoid Internet versions of \u201changing out\u201d \u2013 if you want to hang out, do it with friends in real life. Avoid functionality that keeps you \u201ctethered\u201d, in a sense that anyone can \u201cping\u201d you at any time. That just keeps you plugged in and stressed. Turn the chat off unless you actually have something of importance to communicate, or if you expect to find something of importance there. In any case it\u2019s best to write an e-mail. Chats are superficial, addictive, waste of time and for the most part they are disrespectful of other people\u2019s limits and time, and if someone wants to keep you tethered it indicates an insecure personality. Avoid. Also, don\u2019t ping others with useless shit \u2013 nobody really cares what you ate, or that you had to take a shit. Communicate important ideas, and if you don\u2019t have any, shut up and read some books, and eventually that will change.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s basically it. If you\u2019re scatterbrained, shallow and have an addictive personality, technology will certainly give you enough rope to hang yourself, but it isn\u2019t an iPhone problem, it\u2019s a dumbass problem.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For some reason I got a few videos about switching from smartphone to dumbphone and back in my YouTube stream, so I actually checked them out because the idea seemed bizarre. It turned out that some people are so overwhelmed … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-society","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danijel.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2746","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danijel.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danijel.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danijel.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danijel.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2746"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.danijel.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2746\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2747,"href":"https:\/\/www.danijel.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2746\/revisions\/2747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danijel.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danijel.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danijel.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}