You shouldn’t be going analog, you should be reclaiming the web.
Or... you can go analog if you want, but I’m here to offer you a solution that DOESN’T make your life way harder (and doesn’t require buying a whole bunch of new shit.)
- Why is the internet evil?
Well, the answer is that it’s not. What’s really evil is the way you use it.
The way people use the internet is mostly though THE ALGORITHM (dun dun dun) or, more specifically, algorithmic apps. This has various negative effects. People get banned for various words and topics so things get censored, people are incentivized to ragebait so you see more negative content, the personalization of the algorithm pushes you into your own little epistemic bubble, and, worst of all, everything is designed to keep your attention for as long as possible. You’ve already heard about the dangers that come with that, I’m sure. You get glued to the screen, you doomscroll. Content is short and snappy, so it erodes your attention span. Essentially, over-use of algorithmic apps (or “social media” as the term is commonly used) makes your brain kind of... atrophy.
- Aaaagh, but social media is all I do on the internet! Should I chuck my phone off a cliff?
You can, and I like your enthusiasm, but that would suck nuts. You kind of need your phone to live in the world now, as much as you might want to set it on fire, so you need to just learn how to un-algorithmize, aka UNPLATFORM, aka quit standard social media.
- How do I curb my social media addiction?
I’m glad you asked! There are many ways to do this, so instead of giving you one definitive guide, I’m just gonna shoot you some tips n tricksies.
(FYI, some of these aren’t specifically about quitting social media but about reducing negative effects of screentime, rebuilding your attention span, etc etc)
1. Literally just delete some apps
Hard truth, you don’t need every social media app on your phone. I’m not telling you to delete them all, but just reduce a lil bit.
There are a lot of apps that share features, so reducing “single use apps” is a good place to start. You like short form content and long form content? Youtube has both, so you can delete Tiktok. You want to share pictures and text? Tumblr has both, so you can delete Twitter and Instagram. Stuff like that.
2. Turn off notifications
This one is obvious. There’s no popups on your screen pulling you to the app, so you’ll be less pulled to the app.
3. Switch from your phone to a laptop
This was a huge one for me. Social media is generally harder to use on a laptop, and also you can’t just carry your laptop in your pocket all the time and pull it out to scroll on while you poop. Switch important things over to your laptop so you’re on your phone less and it’s less easy to just pop over to scroll
4. Have dedicated no-phone spaces or times
For me this is 30 minutes to an hour right after I wake up and before I go to bed, and I don’t keep my phone in my room at night. It’s very important to stay off social media right after you wake up, scrolling immediately when you become conscious every day is supa supa harmful to your brain and sets a bad tone for the whole day. Same with before bed, it harms sleep quality and general mental wellness to be on social media right before you sleep.
5. Let yourself be bored
Boredom is a lost art, which means that pure, self guided thought is becoming a little lost too. People are thinking, but they’re mostly thinking BECAUSE of something else. Movies, articles, posts. That is great! But we also need to be having another kind of thought, the self contained kind. The kind of thought that happens when you just sit and stare at a wall (or do a mindless and repetitive task)
So if you get off your phone and find yourself becoming bored, great! Focus on that feeling. This is a kind of meditation. What does that boredom feel like? Is there a physical feeling associated? Identify your boredom and become comfortable with it. Boredom is an agitating feeling, it’s uncomfortable, but it’s not bad. You need to feel some agitation and discomfort to maintain your brain. Social media gets its nashty little claws in you by being as comfortable as possible.
So... just sit. Let your thoughts flow in and out of your head. Don’t force yourself to concentrate on a flickering flame or whatever, you’re not a monk, just think. I find that being in some kind of mildly interesting environment (laying outside, sitting in a pool or bath, swinging on a swing) helps this to be a little bit more enjoyable. I know I said you need to feel discomfort, but you also need to WANT to do this. It shouldn’t feel like torture.
6. Stop digital multitasking
This one is big. You gotta stop the NOISE. Don’t get on your phone during movies or shows, don’t listen to music while you scroll on Pinterest, never consume two types of digital media at once. Eventually, stop consuming media while you do other things. Stop watching Youtube while you’re eating or doing chores, stop listening to music when you take walks, reduce your multitasking. This will grow your attention span and reduce your dependence on tech IMMENSELY.
7. Get a damn hobby
The last one was big, but this one is the BIGGEST. The best way to stop scrolling is to do something that isn’t scrolling... duh. The reason that scrolling is so addicting is that it’s a quick n easy source of happy chemicals, but those chemicals are empty, evaporate quick, and come with all the negative effects of social media use too. You need to find a way to get BETTER happy chemicals.
It’s like eating a box of Oreos vs eating a... quinoa salad for lunch. The Oreos will give you some quick energy and will be easier to acquire + look more appealing than the quinoa, but that energy will evaporate quickly and you won’t be left with any of the good nutrients you need for lunch. Plus your stomach will probably hurt after eating an entire box of Oreos.
So you need to find a quinoa salad! The best options are creative and physical hobbies, because creating things and moving your body give you madddd happy chems. Just find something that you enjoy doing, that you are drawn to doing, and preferably something that’s kinda hard and requires you to think so you can exercise that juicy little brain of yours.
Okay, so those are some tips for reducing your internet use, but, like I said in the beginning, this guide isn’t about going analog. There are some sick ass things on the internet too that can actually be BENEFICIAL to your brain.
- How SHOULD I be using the internet?
Well, that’s up to you! And by that I mean, it’s up to YOU. Not an algorithm, as you should know by now. The art of truly surfing the web is all but killed by the algorithm, but it truly is the best way to engage with the internet. It’s kinda hard to start though, so I’ll give you some jumping boards.
Cloudhiker
Anybody that knows me knows about Cloudhiker. It’s the website that truly kickstarted my journey to reclaim the web. Cloudhiker is a website that takes you to a completely random website at the click of a button. This is how I found a bunch of blogs, personal sites, artists / art projects, games, etc. that I really like. It’s the best way to find interesting little corners of the internet completely removed from social media that you never would’ve found otherwise.
Here are a few cool sites I discovered with Cloudhiker
(Pssst: Before I give you some blog sites, you should know about RSS. RSS websites are websites that collect all the blogs you like into one feed so you don’t have to hop around to all their websites to see if they’ve posted. The one I use is called Artemis, it’s super easy and cute. I can’t link it for some reason but you can find it by looking up Artemis RSS...)
Bubbles
A site where you can make your own blog and read other blogs
Bearblog
Also a site with blogs (This is the one I blog from! Go add me to your RSS)
Neocities
A site where you can make your own personal site and go to other personal sites
More Sites I Likes
Finally, here is just a list of websites I like that aren’t mainstream, algorithmic social media. Well, for the most part.
Synesthesia.club- A site for music lovers to review music and discuss it in depth.
indieblog.page- A site that takes you to a random indie blog, like Cloudhiker but specifically for the indie web.
Coyote’s Link Hub- A personal website with a bunch of cool and useful links.
Saint Arlo- One of my favorite personal sites. Full of cool stuff and super whimsical design.
Grauline- Another cool personal site with a lot of awesome art, reviews, and links.
Hellmouth- Yet another personal site. This one is medieval themed and packed with fun medieval stuff. You can design your own medieval manuscript on here!
Soooo that’s it! I hope now you feel motivated and EQUIPED to hop your little froggy self from the mainstream social media lilypad to the much larger, much better indie web lilypad. Happy surfing!
