In the never-ending quest to balance addictive tendencies toward scrolling on Reddit or watching YouTube I’ve developed an approach that has actually been productive for me, far better than Screen Time ever worked out.
I’ve deleted all social media (Instagram, Mastodon) & scrolling apps (Reddit, YouTube, etc) off my phone. I don’t believe that using these is inherently bad – the ability to access them at all times, with no restrictions, and fill every void of the day that otherwise might have contained insightful or critical thought is bad.
I still browse these, but on my MacBook. The size and medium mean that the decision to look at Reddit, for example, is an intentional decision, with a device that I may not always have with me. And I benefit for still being able to learn information online and keep up with current events but not in a way that equates to mental junk food.
The word “terminal” has been echoing in my head through all this and I feel it encapsulates a very intentional experience to browsing. The computers of old were slower, simpler, and not even portable. To sit down and use one was not an obstacle that interferred with interacting with your family or coworkers. But like now, it was still a great way to read and learn!
But how will you resist the urge to access these services through the browser on your phone anyway?
To that I will point out that the experience of using mobile browser versions of any scrolling or communication platform is so poor that I truthfully don’t feel the desire to. In a pinch, if I’m needing to research something on the go, Reddit is still there, but compared to using it on a desktop browser, there’s just no competition. The wait to browse until I get home and have my laptop available is met with patience because I know how much better the UX will be.