Thoughts On Having a ‘Tech-Free Day’ - A Thread (1/11)

One recent Saturday, I didn’t go on my phone, watch TV or go on my laptop. Well technically I got on my phone at 9:30pm (21 hours off) to message my family and watched 15 minutes of footy, but you get the idea (2/11)

It starts with why. Lately, a change in my life circumstances have meant I’m spending much more time alone. No partner, no gym and no way to socialise with friends. Considering I’m a social creature, this has instilled some anxious feelings of disconnectedness (3/11)

Further, this has manifested itself by excessive scrolling on 5 social media platforms, exceeding 6 hours a day (4/11)

So I decided to not do any of the above mentioned things. It was challenging and eye opening. I left the house without my phone probably for the first time in 6 years. I walked 6km and got groceries without a phone and it was so foreign. (5/11)

The clearest observation was that I have dozens of triggers to check my phone. When I get in the car, when waiting in line at the supermarket. All of these things resulted in reaching for my pocket to find that it was empty. I realised how much my phone rules my life. (6/11)

The day was slow. I read an entire book, napped twice, walked twice, prepared dinner, did all the dishes, mediated, reflected. It was liberating. My mind had no fog whatsoever. I had great clarity all day about what’s going on in my head and my life. (7/11)

The biggest takeaway is that social media isn’t inherently bad. But these apps which were originally designed to keep us connected have delineated from their original purpose. Now, thousands of engineers create features designed to keep us glued, scrolling and wanting more (8/11)

It’s creating a void, an abyss; only to be satiated by the mind numbing grabs at our ever shortening attention spans and the pseudo-connectivity that social media offers. I’m not saying to get rid of them, but next time you scroll, just ask yourself what you’re doing (9/11)

To be connected is to live, especially in the current climate of working from home. But don’t let the addictive nature of cheap dopamine hits fool you into thinking you’re happy. In fact, by the definition of addiction, it’s short term gratification with a long term cost (10/11)

Remember that all these apps are free to use, but you pay with your time; your most precious resource. Be mindful and don’t let social media use or addiction control your life (11/11)