Is it just me or is everyone on their phone?
Everywhere I look lately, people are head down, staring at their phones. When they’re alone or with people. At restaurants, beaches, and malls. On sidewalks, bikes and mountaintops. Now that I’ve noticed this, I can’t stop thinking about it. I mean, it’s crazy…isn’t it?
The other day, I was driving through the park with my teenage daughter and I spotted four different groups of people – two groups of three and two groups of two – and EVERY one of them was on their phone! I pointed it out to my daughter, and she shrugged her shoulders and went back to scrolling through Instagram.
I’m sometimes guilty of this myself and I’ve been actively working to change that. I found the following articles, apps, books, and podcasts about getting off your phone (which I believe starts with getting off or reducing social media) and thought they might be helpful for you, too.
p.s. If you ask me, the tongue-in-cheek video below by Alex Cornell, a former Facebook designer, doesn’t seem too far from reality.
Getting Off Our Phones
Cal Newport | Digital Minimalism (I consider this required reading for anyone who wants to live a better life. I’ve dogeared at least every other page in this book – it’s that good! What I love most about Cal’s book is that he doesn’t just tell you to get off your phone or computer, he also provides solid ways to spend less time on your phone (or computer) and more time in your real life.)
Freedom.to | Freedom app (I learned about this app through Digital Minimalism and it’s awesome! Freedom is an app and website blocker for Mac, Windows, Android, and iOS, that blocks distracting websites and apps on your desktop, tablet or phone so you can be focused and productive.)
Rob Bell Podcast | A Brief Guide to the Undernet, A Brief Guide to the Undernet – Part 2, A Brief Guide to the Undernet – Part 3 – I Was Alive in the 1900s (These podcasts are powerful, and I’ve listened to each one several times.)
The New York Times | Do Not Disturb: How I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain
GQ | Cal Newport on Why We’ll Look Back at Our Smartphones Like Cigarettes
Derek Sivers | Why I’m not on Facebook
Paul Jarvis | On the Facebook Like Button
Wandering Aimfully | Do A Social Media Detox
Madison Fischer | Why Ditching Instagram Earned Me the Podium
Gizmodo | Teens and Young Adults Are More Depressed Now Than in the Mid-2000’s
c|net | How to delete your Facebook account once and for all
Cal Newport | Join Analog Social Media
Medium | While Everyone Is Distracted By Social Media, Successful People Double Down On An Underrated Skill
The Verge | The Trauma Floor – The Secret Lives of Facebook Moderators in America (This article isn’t about getting off your phone, but I wanted to include it because I think it’s so important to realize that, while these are paid Facebook moderators who are exposed to this traumatic content, every one of us who uses Facebook is exposed to the same type of content on a smaller level. Also, I found it horrifying that these poor people are paid so little, treated so poorly, and likely have lifelong trauma from working there.)
alt_TOGETHER | Stop Scrolling Challenge
Thrillist | 13 Ways to Break Your iPhone Addiction
BBC | Seven Rules to Stop Your Phone Taking Over Your Life
Lifehack | Addicted to Your Mobile Phone?
BuzzFeed | 22 Ways to Break Up with Your Cell Phone
The Next Web | How to Stop Checking Your Phone Like an Addict
Alexandra Franzen | Is it possible to run a business without using social media? (As an entrepreneur who has built multiple businesses using social media, this was a big concern of mine. I felt pulled to minimize the role social media plays in my marketing plan, but wondered if not using it was really possible. Alexandra shows that it is.)
Vox | Is our constant use of digital technologies affecting our brain health? We asked 11 experts.
Vox | What smartphone photography is doing to our memories
NBC News | Social media linked to rise in mental health disorders in teens, survey finds
Delete Facebook | Permanent Account Deletion
Sean Bonner | On Leaving Facebook
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