this post was submitted on 10 May 2026
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Privacy
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Most of the time, my phone's browser is disabled. It keeps me from using my phone too much. I understand not everyone is in a position where they can do that though.
Or even want that...
After reading a bunch of books about our relationship with technology, I concluded it's probably best that I greatly reduce my reliance on my phone. A big part of how I accomplish that is just by using my laptop for things that I can't cut out entirely, like banking, email, web browsing, etc.
i never switched to preferring my phone over my laptop, so my laptop has always remained my primary means of interacting with people (ie text messages & phone calls) and social media and it's taught me that it disconnects you in strange ways from the zeitgeist of today world in ways that are so subtle that they're easy to miss and they add up over time.
I uninstalled Tik Tok almost 2 years ago and have heavily restricted my other social media usage since. Programming.dev (and the extended Lemmyverse) is the biggest cheat I permit myself. I do still waste more time scrolling than I want, but through it, I've been exposed to things that I feel make my life richer. And it is a lot less soul-crushing than commercial platforms that are jam packed with AI slop and are designed to be addicting.
That said, with I no longer have a way to keep up with trends and my main source of news is my wife, who is still plugged into TikTok. And honestly, I think I'm better off that way. I have way more time to read (and engage in other long-form content) and spend with my kids. I'm exposed to way less propaganda and outrage content. Looking back on days with 9+ hours spent on TikTok, it feels like I was part of a hive mind. I like being an individual again.