A couple weeks ago, I deleted social media off my phone. Insta and reddit was all that was left, but I noticed how much of a useless time sink they were becoming. My daily mood has also improved.
Now, I’ve been reading manga and playing chess online to fill the gap. But I’m still looking for suggestions on what else there is to do besides doom scroll. It’s not like I’m outlawing the internet entirely, I still have interests and hobbies etc, but I’m open to just about anything.
Lemmy mostly
switching to lemmy has made my social media consumption SIGNIFICANTLY less doomscroll-ey
How is so?
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I was like most Americans doom scrolling things things like r/latestagecapitalism and a r/aboringdystopia because I was aware that things were fucked; like most of us are.
It felt like the fuckery was permanent and that there was nothing I could do but accept that this was reality and try to make the most out of it; filling me w despair about life and leading me to doomscrolling all the time.
Lemmy showed to me in writing that this fuckery was predicted almost 2 centuries ago and that there’s actually very few people perpetuating the fuckery (for their own benefit) and they’ve engineered this system to create the mass false belief that all the fuckery is permanent and that there is nothing we can do about it except push for small, ineffectual changes.
Lemmy, tiktok, and rednote have shown me that people like me are living significantly better lives simply because the ultra rich are not allowed to perpetuate the type of fuckery that was keeping me trapped in a doomscroll loop.
Rednote, in particular, was eye opening for me: I learned from them that most people on that side of the planet assume that life altering medical bills, housing unaffordability, & student loans like mine were nothing more than anti-american propaganda from their governments.
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Don’t replace social media with something else on your phone.
Put the phone down and walk away.
I hear heroin is nice.
Probably less addictive.
This was my philosophy, then I realized I prefer crossword puzzles and sudoku on my phone because I can do it one-handed so I can pet my cat at the same time.
I also tried watching shows on my TV instead of my phone but it’s harder to block ads.
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Duolingo. My whole family has caught the bug. I hear the little ba-ding! noise from all corners of the house all evening long.
Y todavía no puedo hablar bien español 😕
Balatro
I see you too replaced heroine with meth
I can quit anytime. Right after I see what’s after the next blind.
the next negative foil joker will tie this run together. Just put faith in the nope wheel
Mostly tiktok scrolling. It’s got a bad rep, but there’s a huge amount of seriously talented people on there doing amazing and creative things. I’m a 50-something year old guy and it quickly figured out I like videos about mine explores and restoring vintage vehicles. Once you learn to downvote stuff you don’t like, it’s quick to learn and aside from the comment bots or obvious trolls (Typically pro-Russian or Pro-Trump, if there’s a difference) it’s generally a positive thing, in moderation.
I totally get your desire about avoiding socials and have experienced the mood swings it can bring too. That’s made me quite tuned into how the algorithms are steering me. For me (and everyone’s experience is different) - Facebook is mostly bland generic stuff but quite useful for local content - just avoid the drama llamas), and use an advert blocker. Reddit is mixed. I used to be on there a lot and contributed and modded a bunch of stuff, but quit for a year after spez screwed over the app people. I skim it a bit now, but don’t give it much mind. X is awful, won’t go near it. Lemmy is less of a shitpost zone than most but still has too few people to be significant. We’re all helping with that though.
Lemmy aside, I think most algs will figure you out pretty quick. If you get involved in nasty commenting, it’ll feed you more of that. If you do the odd positive thing (as I try to) then it can be less toxic - but with all things, remember why you’re there. The more you feed it, the bigger to you it becomes. Balance is important, and be aware of how stuff is affecting you.
Anyway, beyond TT, crosswords, some news sites and the occasional candy crush.
Good question though, I’m reading other comments as it’s harder to find stuff outside of the main channels now.
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Uhhhh
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
I have anki decks that i don’t use on everyday basis especially for that. You can spend from 2 seconds to hours on this.
Emulate classic games
slap a controller on that bad boy and practice your street fighter 2 combos. That’s an easy half hour right there
Find the lesser posted contributors to your field/s of interest, read them, post them, share your thoughts.
This means you are actively using social media, actively considering different texts in subjects you already have an interest in, and actively using your brain to make considered contributions.
This is my go to. Take a look at my post history in aussie-enviro. I continually go out of my way to find environmental or conservation organisations themselves instead of waiting only for a news site like Guardian to do a write up themselves.
I’m finding my reading speed and attentiveness has improved, and i’ve better knowledge recall, especially on key details. Its of course fun as well.
Lemmy (Summit) Open Sudoku
Wikipedia. Ballz game.
Read using REadEra, play Forge of Empires - plus Lemmy via Voyager.
I play 20questions, and then get upset at the contradictions in my answers to others’
Tighrope most days https://www.britannica.com/quiz/tightrope
Other than that just Lemmy.
Keep meaning to try learning Chess so I can play it online a little.
Is this Phil Dunphy?
Who?
A Modern Family reference. Nevermind, its a bit dated now i guess.
Oh you can just play chess, no problem. You will learn along the way… playing humans is more fun than against the computer… also try the other game modes like 4players, solo and anarchy chess…
