PaperCat

This is my own personal goal because I am done with the amount of time I spend scrolling on social media. I am infinitely glad that the screen time tracker on iPhone does not send each individual a “Your Year Wrapped” for that crap because it would be astronomical and I don’t care for it.

SO here is my game plan to stop doomscrolling.

First, I have deleted social media apps from my phone with the exception of Facebook because there is a crucial group that I am a part of that is family-related.

Second, I have a to be read pile with a goal to read a minimum of 6 books this year. Yes, I still have Goodreads to help track this but I also have a notebook that I’m tracking my activities in.

Third, I am buying my own copies of media to own. I’m talking books, CD’s, DVD’s, BluRays, physical copies of video games, like it’s the year 2009. I do not want to continue to be part of the algorithm feeding. I still have a CD player in my car. I’m good with doubling my gaming console as a DVD or BluRay player. I’m done with ads and algorithms. Let me find things organically. This does mean that I will have to have a specific budget for this, but it’s not too much worse than if I were to hold subscriptions to the streaming services.

I realize that I could own digital copies of these things to save space but I would rather them not take up storage space on my computer and on my phone. Buying physical copies means that they have their own storage built in.

Fourth, as much as possible, I will be buying these things in an actual store from the stock that is available. Unless I am thinking of a very specific nostalgia piece that I have to go searching for, I want to find it in my area rather than get it shipped.

Am I simply taking me and my family back to the early 2000’s? Possibly, but (and I know I sound like an old person) I feel like this level of technology was the perfect blend between digital and real life. Large swaths of time were spent digitally, but large swaths of time were also spent outdoors or playing board games with friends. I also feel like “the kids” are going back to this level of technology because of it being a good blend of the two. When I was at Barnes and Noble the other day, I saw someone aged anywhere from 17-20 combing through the one shelf of CD’s like she was searching through treasure.

I would be interested to know what you think as well. Are you also in a place where algorithms are disrupting your time and attention? Or are you perfectly content with how things are progressing?