The second winter of the Pandemic was when Grams decided to make a change.
The atmosphere on TikTok was toxic. It was pointless to have a lot of likes or popularity.
Grams felt trapped in an endless cycle of misery even though she noticed how social media negatively impacted her mental health. Her phone distracted her so much that she couldn't finish a book because she was too tired.
She says that the thought of her life quickly passing by while her face was fixated on mindless videos made her feel uneasy. I looked at my dogs and felt terrible for choosing my phone over them.
She switched to a dumb phone in December of 2021.
She was relieved by the absence of notifications. I was bored a week in. You begin to realize how little time there is in the day when you don't have a screen.
Grams discovered the true cost of social media when he peeked behind the curtain.
"If you're not paying for the product, then you are the product" is a proverb that has been around for a long time. We are all the same when it comes to social media.
The addictive and dangerous effect of platforms likeTikTok, Facebook, andInstagram is obvious. The notifications on our phones, the auto-play on streaming platforms, and the ubiquitous screens scream for our attention. We know this, but we don't have the power to stop it.
Digital minimalists enter.
Cal Newport's book Digital Minimalism: Choosing a focused life in a noisy world popularized the concept. Digital Minimalism has become even more relevant in today's world of virtual everything, blurred work/life boundaries, and alarming choices made by eccentric billionaires.
Digital Minimalism is the removal of technology from your life that only helps or enhances it. Newport believes that an entire philosophy is needed to make lasting changes rather than the occasional digital cleanse. Identifying which technologies serve you and which do not is the basis of that philosophy.
It's up to the individual to identify which technologies they value, it's not a strict set of rules. The approach puts the book in the hands of the individual.
It's how we use technology that gets us into trouble according to digital minimalism. Newport writes that digital minimalism does not reject the innovations of the internet age, but instead rejects the way so many people currently engage with these tools.
Last year, when she was in her final year at the University of Yorkshire, she dropped her phone. She and her boyfriend were talking about whether or not they were useful or a waste of time, and that's when it began.
Jones and her boyfriend decided to switch to dumbphones because Jones was interested in minimalist living. She documented her experience on the video sharing website.
Jones ended up using a flip phone for nine months because she didn't have a high-quality camera, but she's found a way to make her phone less distract by changing the screen color or removing the app store. "These little things that phones have that are designed to grab your attention, if you remove those, the phone itself isn't really any more engaging than any other device or thing you have in your home."
The chief of support staff at a Warsaw, Poland, law firm is a father of two daughters. When his first daughter was born seven years ago, he began to think about how he would teach his children to use technology.
"I was thinking that she should be a digital native, she should use those devices from early on, and then I began to research this in order to verify whether or not I am right in this attitude," said Rajkow. He learned a lot. I decided that I won't give my children a smart device until they are 18.
Rajkow wanted his daughters to be well- oriented in the world, be able to think for themselves, and to draw conclusions without being influenced.
He was familiar with the dangers of some of the new technologies. Tech was invading people's lives and people's privacy more and more. It became harder to maintain a work life balance.
Rajkow realized how sessions on Facebook made him feel bad about himself. He decided to stop using social media.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to minimalists. The key is to decide which technologies add the most value to your life. Newport recommends cutting off all optional technologies for 30 days in order to start. He says to explore and rediscover activities that you find satisfying and meaningful during the thirty day break.
Start introducing optional technologies into your life at the end of the break. Determine what value technology serves in your life and how you will use it to maximize it.
Jones uses an old phone to keep up with his friends. She only uses social networking sites on her computer. She doesn't use her phone for directions and doesn't have a gps device.
Social media apps are the main issue according to Jones. If you go on the banking app, it's just static and to the point, whereas if you click on it, it's loads of information all at once.
A light phone was used by Grams for a while. She is back on her phone with only two apps, one for messaging friends and family and the other for taking pictures of her niece. She sets a rule for herself to check her social media accounts on her computer at least once a week.
Rajkow doesn't have a social media account but he does have a couple of videos on his website. Making videos on YouTube is something I like to do and I don't mind using the site. He said he felt better after the video was published. I am against social media that isn't serving you.
He and his wife used to use dumbphones. Now that things have started to open up more, the use of QR codes and digital COVID passes has presented new challenges.
Rajkow's goal is to only use tech that serves him and his family, and he was able to find a way to use his iPad instead. If I need the code, I just have to take it out of my backpack.
If this sounds extreme, r/DigitalMinimalism has a detailed guide for those who aren't willing to go cold turkey. Blocks software, simplified versions of websites and browsers, a mega list of offline activities, and books and videos from digital minimalist experts are just some of the resources and tips offered by the subreddit.
Jones, Grams, and Rajkow all work in professions that use technology regularly. She keeps up her digital minimalist habits by keeping all of her social media apps in a drawer when she's not at work. She uses her dumbed down phone for everything.
It has worked well so far. She says that she sees her phone in a different way now that it's a flip phone. I think of how I use a phone differently now. The phone rules me and I use it for X reasons.
Grams feels like her relationship with her phone has changed even though she is a project manager at an advertising firm. I'm able to balance my work and personal lives. Adding a picture of my two Australian shepherds to my IG story is not the same as creating content for a business.
Jones points out that you can't have FOMO if you don't know what you're missing. You don't know if your friend is at the cafe if you don't have access to social media. It eliminated a lot of the feelings of fear and anxiety that were associated with it.
Rajkow and his family used video calls on his computer to keep in touch with their loved ones during the Pandemic. He didn't get overwhelmed by the screens and distraction. He was able to be more intentional about these conversations and would set up a microphone and a DSLR camera so it was a better experience with the other party.
Grams said that her mental health has improved and that she has used her newfound time in fulfilling ways.
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