home.social

#scrolling — Public Fediverse posts

Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #scrolling, aggregated by home.social.

  1. CW: PhotoArt SFW

    #𝕊𝕥𝕖𝕗
    #𝕊𝕥𝕖𝕗𝕒𝕟𝕚𝕒
    #𝕊𝕥𝕖𝕗𝕤ℙ𝕚𝕔𝕜𝕤

    #𝕋𝕙𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕 #𝕊𝕖𝕥
    𝟛 𝕠𝕗 𝟙𝟠
    #ℕ𝕦𝕕𝕖
    #𝔽𝕖𝕞𝕒𝕝𝕖
    #𝔹𝕠𝕕𝕪𝔹𝕦𝕚𝕝𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕤

    #ℙ𝕠𝕤𝕥𝕤
    𝟠
    #ℙ𝕙𝕠𝕥𝕠𝕤
    𝟙𝟛
    #ℂ𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕒𝕘𝕖 #ℙ𝕚𝕔𝕤
    𝔽𝕚𝕣𝕤𝕥 𝟞
    #𝔽𝕦𝕝𝕝𝕤𝕚𝕫𝕖 ℙ𝕚𝕔𝕤
    𝕃𝕒𝕤𝕥 𝟟

    𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙
    #ℂ𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕒𝕘𝕖𝕤
    ℕ𝕦𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣 ℙ𝕚𝕔𝕤
    𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘
    𝔼𝕒𝕔𝕙
    ℂ𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕒𝕘𝕖
    𝕒𝕤 𝟙 #ℙ𝕚𝕔
    𝕤𝕚𝕟𝕔𝕖
    #𝕀𝕞𝕒𝕘𝕖𝕤
    𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕓𝕚𝕟𝕖𝕕
    𝕒𝕤
    𝟙 #ℙ𝕙𝕠𝕥𝕠

    #𝕋𝕙𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕊𝕖𝕥
    #𝔽𝕚𝕣𝕤𝕥
    ℙ𝕠𝕤𝕥
    𝕚𝕤
    #𝔹𝕖𝕤𝕥
    𝕥𝕠
    #𝔻𝕠𝕨𝕟𝕝𝕠𝕒𝕕
    𝕒𝕟𝕕
    #𝔻𝕚𝕤𝕡𝕝𝕒𝕪
    𝔼𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪 ℙ𝕚𝕔
    𝕚𝕟 𝕋𝕙𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕
    𝕀𝕟 #𝕆𝕣𝕕𝕖𝕣
    𝕧𝕚𝕒 𝕦𝕤𝕦𝕒𝕝
    #𝕊𝕔𝕣𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘
    𝔻𝕠𝕨𝕟.

    #𝔹𝕠𝕟𝕦𝕤
    𝕎𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕦𝕤𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖
    #𝕄𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕕𝕠𝕟 #𝕃𝕚𝕟𝕜
    𝔸𝕦𝕥𝕠
    #𝔻𝕠𝕨𝕟𝕝𝕠𝕒𝕕𝕤
    𝕋𝕙𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕊𝕖𝕥 ℙ𝕚𝕔𝕤.

    mastodon.social/@StefsPicks/11

    𝕊𝕥𝕖𝕗𝕒𝕟𝕚𝕒
    #ℙ𝕣𝕠𝕗𝕚𝕝𝕖 ℙ𝕚𝕔
    ℙ𝕙𝕠𝕥𝕠 #𝔸𝕣𝕥 𝟚𝟞

  2. CW: PhotoArt SFW

    #𝕊𝕥𝕖𝕗
    #𝕊𝕥𝕖𝕗𝕒𝕟𝕚𝕒
    #𝕊𝕥𝕖𝕗𝕤ℙ𝕚𝕔𝕜𝕤

    #𝕋𝕙𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕 #𝕊𝕖𝕥
    𝟛 𝕠𝕗 𝟙𝟠
    #ℕ𝕦𝕕𝕖
    #𝔽𝕖𝕞𝕒𝕝𝕖
    #𝔹𝕠𝕕𝕪𝔹𝕦𝕚𝕝𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕤

    #ℙ𝕠𝕤𝕥𝕤
    𝟠
    #ℙ𝕙𝕠𝕥𝕠𝕤
    𝟙𝟛
    #ℂ𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕒𝕘𝕖 #ℙ𝕚𝕔𝕤
    𝔽𝕚𝕣𝕤𝕥 𝟞
    #𝔽𝕦𝕝𝕝𝕤𝕚𝕫𝕖 ℙ𝕚𝕔𝕤
    𝕃𝕒𝕤𝕥 𝟟

    𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙
    #ℂ𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕒𝕘𝕖𝕤
    ℕ𝕦𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣 ℙ𝕚𝕔𝕤
    𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘
    𝔼𝕒𝕔𝕙
    ℂ𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕒𝕘𝕖
    𝕒𝕤 𝟙 #ℙ𝕚𝕔
    𝕤𝕚𝕟𝕔𝕖
    #𝕀𝕞𝕒𝕘𝕖𝕤
    𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕓𝕚𝕟𝕖𝕕
    𝕒𝕤
    𝟙 #ℙ𝕙𝕠𝕥𝕠

    #𝕋𝕙𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕊𝕖𝕥
    #𝔽𝕚𝕣𝕤𝕥
    ℙ𝕠𝕤𝕥
    𝕚𝕤
    #𝔹𝕖𝕤𝕥
    𝕥𝕠
    #𝔻𝕠𝕨𝕟𝕝𝕠𝕒𝕕
    𝕒𝕟𝕕
    #𝔻𝕚𝕤𝕡𝕝𝕒𝕪
    𝔼𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪 ℙ𝕚𝕔
    𝕚𝕟 𝕋𝕙𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕
    𝕀𝕟 #𝕆𝕣𝕕𝕖𝕣
    𝕧𝕚𝕒 𝕦𝕤𝕦𝕒𝕝
    #𝕊𝕔𝕣𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘
    𝔻𝕠𝕨𝕟.

    #𝔹𝕠𝕟𝕦𝕤
    𝕎𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕦𝕤𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖
    #𝕄𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕕𝕠𝕟 #𝕃𝕚𝕟𝕜
    𝔸𝕦𝕥𝕠
    #𝔻𝕠𝕨𝕟𝕝𝕠𝕒𝕕𝕤
    𝕋𝕙𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕊𝕖𝕥 ℙ𝕚𝕔𝕤.

    mastodon.social/@StefsPicks/11

    𝕊𝕥𝕖𝕗𝕒𝕟𝕚𝕒
    #ℙ𝕣𝕠𝕗𝕚𝕝𝕖 ℙ𝕚𝕔
    ℙ𝕙𝕠𝕥𝕠 #𝔸𝕣𝕥 𝟚𝟞

  3. If you’re in the mood for anything related to… scrolling today, check out @frontenddogma’s archives 📜

    frontenddogma.com/topics/scrol

  4. Te uiți „cinci minute“ pe telefon și, fără să-ți dai seama, trece aproape o oră? 📱

    Scrolling-ul infinit nu ține doar de voință. Creierul tău este antrenat să caute următoarea recompensă, prin dopamină, anticipare și mecanisme psihologice atent exploatate de social media.

    Pe Pagina de Psihologie vorbim despre:
    • de ce nu te poți opri din scrolling
    • ce se întâmplă în creierul tău
    • cum îți poți recâștiga atenția

    🔗 buff.ly/T3SjQGH
    #PaginaDePsihologie #Psihologie #Scrolling #Dopamină

  5. Te uiți „cinci minute“ pe telefon și, fără să-ți dai seama, trece aproape o oră? 📱

    Scrolling-ul infinit nu ține doar de voință. Creierul tău este antrenat să caute următoarea recompensă, prin dopamină, anticipare și mecanisme psihologice atent exploatate de social media.

    Pe Pagina de Psihologie vorbim despre:
    • de ce nu te poți opri din scrolling
    • ce se întâmplă în creierul tău
    • cum îți poți recâștiga atenția

    🔗 buff.ly/T3SjQGH
    #PaginaDePsihologie #Psihologie #Scrolling #Dopamină

  6. Te uiți „cinci minute“ pe telefon și, fără să-ți dai seama, trece aproape o oră? 📱

    Scrolling-ul infinit nu ține doar de voință. Creierul tău este antrenat să caute următoarea recompensă, prin dopamină, anticipare și mecanisme psihologice atent exploatate de social media.

    Pe Pagina de Psihologie vorbim despre:
    • de ce nu te poți opri din scrolling
    • ce se întâmplă în creierul tău
    • cum îți poți recâștiga atenția

    🔗 buff.ly/T3SjQGH
    #PaginaDePsihologie #Psihologie #Scrolling #Dopamină

  7. Te uiți „cinci minute“ pe telefon și, fără să-ți dai seama, trece aproape o oră? 📱

    Scrolling-ul infinit nu ține doar de voință. Creierul tău este antrenat să caute următoarea recompensă, prin dopamină, anticipare și mecanisme psihologice atent exploatate de social media.

    Pe Pagina de Psihologie vorbim despre:
    • de ce nu te poți opri din scrolling
    • ce se întâmplă în creierul tău
    • cum îți poți recâștiga atenția

    🔗 buff.ly/T3SjQGH
    #PaginaDePsihologie #Psihologie #Scrolling #Dopamină

  8. Te uiți „cinci minute“ pe telefon și, fără să-ți dai seama, trece aproape o oră? 📱

    Scrolling-ul infinit nu ține doar de voință. Creierul tău este antrenat să caute următoarea recompensă, prin dopamină, anticipare și mecanisme psihologice atent exploatate de social media.

    Pe Pagina de Psihologie vorbim despre:
    • de ce nu te poți opri din scrolling
    • ce se întâmplă în creierul tău
    • cum îți poți recâștiga atenția

    🔗 buff.ly/T3SjQGH
    #PaginaDePsihologie #Psihologie #Scrolling #Dopamină

  9. CW: PhotoArt SFW

    #𝕊𝕥𝕖𝕗𝕤ℙ𝕚𝕔𝕜𝕤
    #𝕊𝕥𝕖𝕗𝕒𝕟𝕚𝕒
    #𝕊𝕥𝕖𝕗
    𝕊𝕙𝕠𝕣𝕥
    #𝕋𝕙𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕 #𝕊𝕖𝕥
    𝟚 𝕠𝕗 𝟙𝟠
    (𝕃𝕖𝕟𝕘𝕥𝕙𝕤
    #𝕀𝕟𝕔𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕖)

    #ℙ𝕠𝕣𝕟𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕤
    #ℂ𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕒𝕘𝕖 #ℙ𝕙𝕠𝕥𝕠𝕤
    𝟜 𝔼𝕒𝕔𝕙
    #𝕋𝕠𝕥𝕒𝕝 #ℙ𝕚𝕔𝕤
    𝟠
    #ℙ𝕠𝕤𝕥
    𝟙
    #ℙ𝕣𝕖𝕘𝕟𝕒𝕟𝕥
    #𝔹𝕖𝕝𝕒𝕣𝕦𝕤𝕚𝕒𝕟
    #ℙ𝕠𝕣𝕟𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣
    #ℕ𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕒
    ℙ𝕠𝕤𝕥
    𝟚
    #𝕃𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘
    #𝔹𝕚𝕘ℕ𝕒𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕒𝕝𝕤
    ℙ𝕠𝕣𝕟𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣
    #𝔹𝕖𝕓𝕖ℂ𝕠𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕣

    #𝕋𝕙𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕊𝕖𝕥
    #𝔽𝕚𝕣𝕤𝕥
    ℙ𝕠𝕤𝕥
    #𝔹𝕖𝕤𝕥
    𝕥𝕠
    #𝔻𝕠𝕨𝕟𝕝𝕠𝕒𝕕
    𝕒𝕟𝕕
    #𝔻𝕚𝕤𝕡𝕝𝕒𝕪
    𝔼𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪 #ℙ𝕚𝕔
    𝕚𝕟 𝕋𝕙𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕
    𝕚𝕟 #𝕆𝕣𝕕𝕖𝕣
    𝕧𝕚𝕒 𝕦𝕤𝕦𝕒𝕝
    #𝕊𝕔𝕣𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘
    𝔻𝕠𝕨𝕟.
    #𝔹𝕠𝕟𝕦𝕤
    𝕎𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕦𝕤𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖
    #𝕄𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕕𝕠𝕟 #𝕃𝕚𝕟𝕜
    𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕟
    𝔸𝕦𝕥𝕠
    #𝔻𝕠𝕨𝕟𝕝𝕠𝕒𝕕𝕤
    𝕒𝕟𝕕
    #𝔻𝕚𝕤𝕡𝕝𝕒𝕪𝕤
    𝕋𝕙𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕊𝕖𝕥 ℙ𝕚𝕔𝕤

    mastodon.social/@StefsPicks/11

    𝕊𝕥𝕖𝕗𝕒𝕟𝕚𝕒
    #ℙ𝕣𝕠𝕗𝕚𝕝𝕖 ℙ𝕚𝕔
    #ℙ𝕙𝕠𝕥𝕠 #𝔸𝕣𝕥 𝟚𝟙

  10. CW: PhotoArt SFW

    #𝕊𝕥𝕖𝕗𝕤ℙ𝕚𝕔𝕜𝕤
    #𝕊𝕥𝕖𝕗𝕒𝕟𝕚𝕒
    #𝕊𝕥𝕖𝕗
    𝕊𝕙𝕠𝕣𝕥
    #𝕋𝕙𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕 #𝕊𝕖𝕥
    𝟚 𝕠𝕗 𝟙𝟠
    (𝕃𝕖𝕟𝕘𝕥𝕙𝕤
    #𝕀𝕟𝕔𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕖)

    #ℙ𝕠𝕣𝕟𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕤
    #ℂ𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕒𝕘𝕖 #ℙ𝕙𝕠𝕥𝕠𝕤
    𝟜 𝔼𝕒𝕔𝕙
    #𝕋𝕠𝕥𝕒𝕝 #ℙ𝕚𝕔𝕤
    𝟠
    #ℙ𝕠𝕤𝕥
    𝟙
    #ℙ𝕣𝕖𝕘𝕟𝕒𝕟𝕥
    #𝔹𝕖𝕝𝕒𝕣𝕦𝕤𝕚𝕒𝕟
    #ℙ𝕠𝕣𝕟𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣
    #ℕ𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕒
    ℙ𝕠𝕤𝕥
    𝟚
    #𝕃𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘
    #𝔹𝕚𝕘ℕ𝕒𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕒𝕝𝕤
    ℙ𝕠𝕣𝕟𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣
    #𝔹𝕖𝕓𝕖ℂ𝕠𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕣

    #𝕋𝕙𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕊𝕖𝕥
    #𝔽𝕚𝕣𝕤𝕥
    ℙ𝕠𝕤𝕥
    #𝔹𝕖𝕤𝕥
    𝕥𝕠
    #𝔻𝕠𝕨𝕟𝕝𝕠𝕒𝕕
    𝕒𝕟𝕕
    #𝔻𝕚𝕤𝕡𝕝𝕒𝕪
    𝔼𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪 #ℙ𝕚𝕔
    𝕚𝕟 𝕋𝕙𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕
    𝕚𝕟 #𝕆𝕣𝕕𝕖𝕣
    𝕧𝕚𝕒 𝕦𝕤𝕦𝕒𝕝
    #𝕊𝕔𝕣𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘
    𝔻𝕠𝕨𝕟.
    #𝔹𝕠𝕟𝕦𝕤
    𝕎𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕦𝕤𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖
    #𝕄𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕕𝕠𝕟 #𝕃𝕚𝕟𝕜
    𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕟
    𝔸𝕦𝕥𝕠
    #𝔻𝕠𝕨𝕟𝕝𝕠𝕒𝕕𝕤
    𝕒𝕟𝕕
    #𝔻𝕚𝕤𝕡𝕝𝕒𝕪𝕤
    𝕋𝕙𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕊𝕖𝕥 ℙ𝕚𝕔𝕤

    mastodon.social/@StefsPicks/11

    𝕊𝕥𝕖𝕗𝕒𝕟𝕚𝕒
    #ℙ𝕣𝕠𝕗𝕚𝕝𝕖 ℙ𝕚𝕔
    #ℙ𝕙𝕠𝕥𝕠 #𝔸𝕣𝕥 𝟚𝟙

  11. CW: PhotoArt SFW
  12. CW: PhotoArt SFW
  13. Death of the doomscroller

    Exactly one year ago today I started a little experiment. It had been sparked by a post I had seen on social media, and ironically led to me leaving social media entirely(ish). A few days after I started the experiment I wrote about it here (eight paragraphs from the end), but in brief I decided to stop scrolling on my phone and read an ebook instead.

    I had been aware for some time that whenever I had a free moment the phone would come out and I would spend that time scrolling through (predominantly) negative content. Intermittently I had tried ideas to reduce my scrolling time, getting rid of most of my accounts, deleting apps from my phone, trying to write instead, but nothing had properly stuck.

    As I said in the blog last year, the recommendation on the social media post had been to download and read an ebook instead of scrolling. I was not sure if this would work, but decided to give it a try. I downloaded Small Gods by Terry Pratchett, and set about trying to stick to the plan.

    Given I am writing this a year later you can probably guess what happened, but to be clear today is the one year anniversary of me reading ebooks instead of scrolling. Every day for the last 365 days I have read on my phone instead of doomscrolling. Today I announce the death of a doomscroller.

    Great, but you are still on your phone…

    I’m not sure I was 100% convinced I would make it to a year of reading instead of scrolling. As I have said above I had tried other things before which did not work. I imagined this plan would be something similar. To my surprise, it has worked.

    Like any good experiment, it is important to evaluate the results. I’ve given up scrolling and replaced it with e-reading, but has it had the desired effect when I started; improve my overall wellbeing? This post is a reflection of sorts on the last year, what has changed, what I have learned, and what my plans are for the next year and beyond.

    Let’s start with what you might think is the bleeding obvious…

    I’ve read more

    Duh!

    But also, I’ve really read more. Over the last year on my phone I have read twenty books, abandoned one absolutely terrible book about 20% of the way through, and I am currently 55% of the way through my latest choice. Many of these books were Terry Pratchett books I had been wanting to read for some time, but in the last couple of months I had started to diversify a bit. I’ve also started a to-be-read pile online with a couple of books I will be tackling once I have finished The Portable Door.

    I’ve really read more

    As well as reading more on my phone, I have read more of the (many, many) books I have in my real life to-be-read pile. With less time spent doomscrolling on the phone, this has given me time to read, especially on an evening once the Toddler is in bed. I am currently working my way through the complete Earthsea collection, a hefty tome I might not have considered tackling a year ago for fear I would not have the time.

    I’ve listened more

    I am not sure if they are directly linked, but since giving up my doomscrolling, I have listened to more podcasts. Some of these are short stories, but mostly they are the selection of history shows I follow, a list which has only grown over the last year. I cannot quantify exactly how much, but I know I have spent more time listening and learning since the doomscrolling ceased.

    I’m writing more

    As well as having time to read, I have time on an evening to keep up to my plan to write something every day. Before, this might have been only a line or two before bed, now it can be pages of work on a good day. Over the last year I have finished one book, edited it and now I am submitting it to agents for consideration. I am also close to the first draft of a Christmas novella. Off the phone and at the keyboard has seen my productivity increase significantly.

    My phone is missing me

    Each Monday my phone gives me a breakdown of phone usage over the last week. Prior to giving up scrolling, this would often be to tell me my average use had gone up. Since stopping scrolling, the semi-judgemental comments have stopped, and each day I am averaging very little time on the phone. It is not just the summary which confirms my slow breakup with my phone, other than days I use my phone as a sat nav for long drives, the battery will easily last me the whole day.

    I’m less connected

    There is no getting around it, I am less connected to news and events taking place around the world. Now this is not necessarily a bad thing, news (social media based or otherwise) is biased towards negative stories, so less connection can be a positive thing. At the same time, being completely cut off from the world is a privileged position not everyone can afford to take. I am still using my RSS feed and checking on a news website daily for the headlines, but I only do so once a day. I am less connected, but not disconnected.

    I am happier?

    The purpose of the original post advising people to read more and scroll less was to improve people’s wellbeing and happiness. I did not have any worries about my mental health when I started this experiment, but I could see I would have more bad mood days when I had been heavy on the scrolling.

    So am I happier a year down the line?

    Probably… yes, maybe. How we feel day to day is a complex process. A big traumatic event on its own can impact how we are feeling, but smaller factors like the news we consume are not going to determine our mood alone. That being said, my outlook on life does seem a little more cheerful one year on. I certainly have a more positive view of the future than the Wife who has not changed her consumption habits. Of course the Wife’s view could be correct, everything is terrible and any positive views are deluded, but I’m sure there is a little more nuance to it, and cutting down the doomscrolling has at the very least given me a more balanced perspective.

    The next 365 days

    The biggest question I am left with, will I keep this up?

    Short answer; yes.

    Slightly longer answer; yes I will.

    Actual answer which can form the conclusion of this post; yes I will keep my reading-instead-of-scrolling plan going for the next year and probably longer. Whether I will extend the plan to further replace my digital dependence is not something I have fully thought through. At the moment I am happy with the balance I have achieved, think the benefits above far outweigh the downsides, and there will be a point where I cannot switch off completely. As much as I would love to throw away the phone and live in a cabin in the woods, it’s not going to happen and time soon, and that is (probably) OK.

    #Books #Doomscrolling #Phone #Reading #Scrolling #SocialMedia
  14. Death of the doomscroller

    Exactly one year ago today I started a little experiment. It had been sparked by a post I had seen on social media, and ironically led to me leaving social media entirely(ish). A few days after I started the experiment I wrote about it here (eight paragraphs from the end), but in brief I decided to stop scrolling on my phone and read an ebook instead.

    I had been aware for some time that whenever I had a free moment the phone would come out and I would spend that time scrolling through (predominantly) negative content. Intermittently I had tried ideas to reduce my scrolling time, getting rid of most of my accounts, deleting apps from my phone, trying to write instead, but nothing had properly stuck.

    As I said in the blog last year, the recommendation on the social media post had been to download and read an ebook instead of scrolling. I was not sure if this would work, but decided to give it a try. I downloaded Small Gods by Terry Pratchett, and set about trying to stick to the plan.

    Given I am writing this a year later you can probably guess what happened, but to be clear today is the one year anniversary of me reading ebooks instead of scrolling. Every day for the last 365 days I have read on my phone instead of doomscrolling. Today I announce the death of a doomscroller.

    Great, but you are still on your phone…

    I’m not sure I was 100% convinced I would make it to a year of reading instead of scrolling. As I have said above I had tried other things before which did not work. I imagined this plan would be something similar. To my surprise, it has worked.

    Like any good experiment, it is important to evaluate the results. I’ve given up scrolling and replaced it with e-reading, but has it had the desired effect when I started; improve my overall wellbeing? This post is a reflection of sorts on the last year, what has changed, what I have learned, and what my plans are for the next year and beyond.

    Let’s start with what you might think is the bleeding obvious…

    I’ve read more

    Duh!

    But also, I’ve really read more. Over the last year on my phone I have read twenty books, abandoned one absolutely terrible book about 20% of the way through, and I am currently 55% of the way through my latest choice. Many of these books were Terry Pratchett books I had been wanting to read for some time, but in the last couple of months I had started to diversify a bit. I’ve also started a to-be-read pile online with a couple of books I will be tackling once I have finished The Portable Door.

    I’ve really read more

    As well as reading more on my phone, I have read more of the (many, many) books I have in my real life to-be-read pile. With less time spent doomscrolling on the phone, this has given me time to read, especially on an evening once the Toddler is in bed. I am currently working my way through the complete Earthsea collection, a hefty tome I might not have considered tackling a year ago for fear I would not have the time.

    I’ve listened more

    I am not sure if they are directly linked, but since giving up my doomscrolling, I have listened to more podcasts. Some of these are short stories, but mostly they are the selection of history shows I follow, a list which has only grown over the last year. I cannot quantify exactly how much, but I know I have spent more time listening and learning since the doomscrolling ceased.

    I’m writing more

    As well as having time to read, I have time on an evening to keep up to my plan to write something every day. Before, this might have been only a line or two before bed, now it can be pages of work on a good day. Over the last year I have finished one book, edited it and now I am submitting it to agents for consideration. I am also close to the first draft of a Christmas novella. Off the phone and at the keyboard has seen my productivity increase significantly.

    My phone is missing me

    Each Monday my phone gives me a breakdown of phone usage over the last week. Prior to giving up scrolling, this would often be to tell me my average use had gone up. Since stopping scrolling, the semi-judgemental comments have stopped, and each day I am averaging very little time on the phone. It is not just the summary which confirms my slow breakup with my phone, other than days I use my phone as a sat nav for long drives, the battery will easily last me the whole day.

    I’m less connected

    There is no getting around it, I am less connected to news and events taking place around the world. Now this is not necessarily a bad thing, news (social media based or otherwise) is biased towards negative stories, so less connection can be a positive thing. At the same time, being completely cut off from the world is a privileged position not everyone can afford to take. I am still using my RSS feed and checking on a news website daily for the headlines, but I only do so once a day. I am less connected, but not disconnected.

    I am happier?

    The purpose of the original post advising people to read more and scroll less was to improve people’s wellbeing and happiness. I did not have any worries about my mental health when I started this experiment, but I could see I would have more bad mood days when I had been heavy on the scrolling.

    So am I happier a year down the line?

    Probably… yes, maybe. How we feel day to day is a complex process. A big traumatic event on its own can impact how we are feeling, but smaller factors like the news we consume are not going to determine our mood alone. That being said, my outlook on life does seem a little more cheerful one year on. I certainly have a more positive view of the future than the Wife who has not changed her consumption habits. Of course the Wife’s view could be correct, everything is terrible and any positive views are deluded, but I’m sure there is a little more nuance to it, and cutting down the doomscrolling has at the very least given me a more balanced perspective.

    The next 365 days

    The biggest question I am left with, will I keep this up?

    Short answer; yes.

    Slightly longer answer; yes I will.

    Actual answer which can form the conclusion of this post; yes I will keep my reading-instead-of-scrolling plan going for the next year and probably longer. Whether I will extend the plan to further replace my digital dependence is not something I have fully thought through. At the moment I am happy with the balance I have achieved, think the benefits above far outweigh the downsides, and there will be a point where I cannot switch off completely. As much as I would love to throw away the phone and live in a cabin in the woods, it’s not going to happen and time soon, and that is (probably) OK.

    #Books #Doomscrolling #Phone #Reading #Scrolling #SocialMedia
  15. Death of the doomscroller

    Exactly one year ago today I started a little experiment. It had been sparked by a post I had seen on social media, and ironically led to me leaving social media entirely(ish). A few days after I started the experiment I wrote about it here (eight paragraphs from the end), but in brief I decided to stop scrolling on my phone and read an ebook instead.

    I had been aware for some time that whenever I had a free moment the phone would come out and I would spend that time scrolling through (predominantly) negative content. Intermittently I had tried ideas to reduce my scrolling time, getting rid of most of my accounts, deleting apps from my phone, trying to write instead, but nothing had properly stuck.

    As I said in the blog last year, the recommendation on the social media post had been to download and read an ebook instead of scrolling. I was not sure if this would work, but decided to give it a try. I downloaded Small Gods by Terry Pratchett, and set about trying to stick to the plan.

    Given I am writing this a year later you can probably guess what happened, but to be clear today is the one year anniversary of me reading ebooks instead of scrolling. Every day for the last 365 days I have read on my phone instead of doomscrolling. Today I announce the death of a doomscroller.

    Great, but you are still on your phone…

    I’m not sure I was 100% convinced I would make it to a year of reading instead of scrolling. As I have said above I had tried other things before which did not work. I imagined this plan would be something similar. To my surprise, it has worked.

    Like any good experiment, it is important to evaluate the results. I’ve given up scrolling and replaced it with e-reading, but has it had the desired effect when I started; improve my overall wellbeing? This post is a reflection of sorts on the last year, what has changed, what I have learned, and what my plans are for the next year and beyond.

    Let’s start with what you might think is the bleeding obvious…

    I’ve read more

    Duh!

    But also, I’ve really read more. Over the last year on my phone I have read twenty books, abandoned one absolutely terrible book about 20% of the way through, and I am currently 55% of the way through my latest choice. Many of these books were Terry Pratchett books I had been wanting to read for some time, but in the last couple of months I had started to diversify a bit. I’ve also started a to-be-read pile online with a couple of books I will be tackling once I have finished The Portable Door.

    I’ve really read more

    As well as reading more on my phone, I have read more of the (many, many) books I have in my real life to-be-read pile. With less time spent doomscrolling on the phone, this has given me time to read, especially on an evening once the Toddler is in bed. I am currently working my way through the complete Earthsea collection, a hefty tome I might not have considered tackling a year ago for fear I would not have the time.

    I’ve listened more

    I am not sure if they are directly linked, but since giving up my doomscrolling, I have listened to more podcasts. Some of these are short stories, but mostly they are the selection of history shows I follow, a list which has only grown over the last year. I cannot quantify exactly how much, but I know I have spent more time listening and learning since the doomscrolling ceased.

    I’m writing more

    As well as having time to read, I have time on an evening to keep up to my plan to write something every day. Before, this might have been only a line or two before bed, now it can be pages of work on a good day. Over the last year I have finished one book, edited it and now I am submitting it to agents for consideration. I am also close to the first draft of a Christmas novella. Off the phone and at the keyboard has seen my productivity increase significantly.

    My phone is missing me

    Each Monday my phone gives me a breakdown of phone usage over the last week. Prior to giving up scrolling, this would often be to tell me my average use had gone up. Since stopping scrolling, the semi-judgemental comments have stopped, and each day I am averaging very little time on the phone. It is not just the summary which confirms my slow breakup with my phone, other than days I use my phone as a sat nav for long drives, the battery will easily last me the whole day.

    I’m less connected

    There is no getting around it, I am less connected to news and events taking place around the world. Now this is not necessarily a bad thing, news (social media based or otherwise) is biased towards negative stories, so less connection can be a positive thing. At the same time, being completely cut off from the world is a privileged position not everyone can afford to take. I am still using my RSS feed and checking on a news website daily for the headlines, but I only do so once a day. I am less connected, but not disconnected.

    I am happier?

    The purpose of the original post advising people to read more and scroll less was to improve people’s wellbeing and happiness. I did not have any worries about my mental health when I started this experiment, but I could see I would have more bad mood days when I had been heavy on the scrolling.

    So am I happier a year down the line?

    Probably… yes, maybe. How we feel day to day is a complex process. A big traumatic event on its own can impact how we are feeling, but smaller factors like the news we consume are not going to determine our mood alone. That being said, my outlook on life does seem a little more cheerful one year on. I certainly have a more positive view of the future than the Wife who has not changed her consumption habits. Of course the Wife’s view could be correct, everything is terrible and any positive views are deluded, but I’m sure there is a little more nuance to it, and cutting down the doomscrolling has at the very least given me a more balanced perspective.

    The next 365 days

    The biggest question I am left with, will I keep this up?

    Short answer; yes.

    Slightly longer answer; yes I will.

    Actual answer which can form the conclusion of this post; yes I will keep my reading-instead-of-scrolling plan going for the next year and probably longer. Whether I will extend the plan to further replace my digital dependence is not something I have fully thought through. At the moment I am happy with the balance I have achieved, think the benefits above far outweigh the downsides, and there will be a point where I cannot switch off completely. As much as I would love to throw away the phone and live in a cabin in the woods, it’s not going to happen and time soon, and that is (probably) OK.

    #Books #Doomscrolling #Phone #Reading #Scrolling #SocialMedia
  16. Death of the doomscroller

    Exactly one year ago today I started a little experiment. It had been sparked by a post I had seen on social media, and ironically led to me leaving social media entirely(ish). A few days after I started the experiment I wrote about it here (eight paragraphs from the end), but in brief I decided to stop scrolling on my phone and read an ebook instead.

    I had been aware for some time that whenever I had a free moment the phone would come out and I would spend that time scrolling through (predominantly) negative content. Intermittently I had tried ideas to reduce my scrolling time, getting rid of most of my accounts, deleting apps from my phone, trying to write instead, but nothing had properly stuck.

    As I said in the blog last year, the recommendation on the social media post had been to download and read an ebook instead of scrolling. I was not sure if this would work, but decided to give it a try. I downloaded Small Gods by Terry Pratchett, and set about trying to stick to the plan.

    Given I am writing this a year later you can probably guess what happened, but to be clear today is the one year anniversary of me reading ebooks instead of scrolling. Every day for the last 365 days I have read on my phone instead of doomscrolling. Today I announce the death of a doomscroller.

    Great, but you are still on your phone…

    I’m not sure I was 100% convinced I would make it to a year of reading instead of scrolling. As I have said above I had tried other things before which did not work. I imagined this plan would be something similar. To my surprise, it has worked.

    Like any good experiment, it is important to evaluate the results. I’ve given up scrolling and replaced it with e-reading, but has it had the desired effect when I started; improve my overall wellbeing? This post is a reflection of sorts on the last year, what has changed, what I have learned, and what my plans are for the next year and beyond.

    Let’s start with what you might think is the bleeding obvious…

    I’ve read more

    Duh!

    But also, I’ve really read more. Over the last year on my phone I have read twenty books, abandoned one absolutely terrible book about 20% of the way through, and I am currently 55% of the way through my latest choice. Many of these books were Terry Pratchett books I had been wanting to read for some time, but in the last couple of months I had started to diversify a bit. I’ve also started a to-be-read pile online with a couple of books I will be tackling once I have finished The Portable Door.

    I’ve really read more

    As well as reading more on my phone, I have read more of the (many, many) books I have in my real life to-be-read pile. With less time spent doomscrolling on the phone, this has given me time to read, especially on an evening once the Toddler is in bed. I am currently working my way through the complete Earthsea collection, a hefty tome I might not have considered tackling a year ago for fear I would not have the time.

    I’ve listened more

    I am not sure if they are directly linked, but since giving up my doomscrolling, I have listened to more podcasts. Some of these are short stories, but mostly they are the selection of history shows I follow, a list which has only grown over the last year. I cannot quantify exactly how much, but I know I have spent more time listening and learning since the doomscrolling ceased.

    I’m writing more

    As well as having time to read, I have time on an evening to keep up to my plan to write something every day. Before, this might have been only a line or two before bed, now it can be pages of work on a good day. Over the last year I have finished one book, edited it and now I am submitting it to agents for consideration. I am also close to the first draft of a Christmas novella. Off the phone and at the keyboard has seen my productivity increase significantly.

    My phone is missing me

    Each Monday my phone gives me a breakdown of phone usage over the last week. Prior to giving up scrolling, this would often be to tell me my average use had gone up. Since stopping scrolling, the semi-judgemental comments have stopped, and each day I am averaging very little time on the phone. It is not just the summary which confirms my slow breakup with my phone, other than days I use my phone as a sat nav for long drives, the battery will easily last me the whole day.

    I’m less connected

    There is no getting around it, I am less connected to news and events taking place around the world. Now this is not necessarily a bad thing, news (social media based or otherwise) is biased towards negative stories, so less connection can be a positive thing. At the same time, being completely cut off from the world is a privileged position not everyone can afford to take. I am still using my RSS feed and checking on a news website daily for the headlines, but I only do so once a day. I am less connected, but not disconnected.

    I am happier?

    The purpose of the original post advising people to read more and scroll less was to improve people’s wellbeing and happiness. I did not have any worries about my mental health when I started this experiment, but I could see I would have more bad mood days when I had been heavy on the scrolling.

    So am I happier a year down the line?

    Probably… yes, maybe. How we feel day to day is a complex process. A big traumatic event on its own can impact how we are feeling, but smaller factors like the news we consume are not going to determine our mood alone. That being said, my outlook on life does seem a little more cheerful one year on. I certainly have a more positive view of the future than the Wife who has not changed her consumption habits. Of course the Wife’s view could be correct, everything is terrible and any positive views are deluded, but I’m sure there is a little more nuance to it, and cutting down the doomscrolling has at the very least given me a more balanced perspective.

    The next 365 days

    The biggest question I am left with, will I keep this up?

    Short answer; yes.

    Slightly longer answer; yes I will.

    Actual answer which can form the conclusion of this post; yes I will keep my reading-instead-of-scrolling plan going for the next year and probably longer. Whether I will extend the plan to further replace my digital dependence is not something I have fully thought through. At the moment I am happy with the balance I have achieved, think the benefits above far outweigh the downsides, and there will be a point where I cannot switch off completely. As much as I would love to throw away the phone and live in a cabin in the woods, it’s not going to happen and time soon, and that is (probably) OK.

    #Books #Doomscrolling #Phone #Reading #Scrolling #SocialMedia
  17. Death of the doomscroller

    Exactly one year ago today I started a little experiment. It had been sparked by a post I had seen on social media, and ironically led to me leaving social media entirely(ish). A few days after I started the experiment I wrote about it here (eight paragraphs from the end), but in brief I decided to stop scrolling on my phone and read an ebook instead.

    I had been aware for some time that whenever I had a free moment the phone would come out and I would spend that time scrolling through (predominantly) negative content. Intermittently I had tried ideas to reduce my scrolling time, getting rid of most of my accounts, deleting apps from my phone, trying to write instead, but nothing had properly stuck.

    As I said in the blog last year, the recommendation on the social media post had been to download and read an ebook instead of scrolling. I was not sure if this would work, but decided to give it a try. I downloaded Small Gods by Terry Pratchett, and set about trying to stick to the plan.

    Given I am writing this a year later you can probably guess what happened, but to be clear today is the one year anniversary of me reading ebooks instead of scrolling. Every day for the last 365 days I have read on my phone instead of doomscrolling. Today I announce the death of a doomscroller.

    Great, but you are still on your phone…

    I’m not sure I was 100% convinced I would make it to a year of reading instead of scrolling. As I have said above I had tried other things before which did not work. I imagined this plan would be something similar. To my surprise, it has worked.

    Like any good experiment, it is important to evaluate the results. I’ve given up scrolling and replaced it with e-reading, but has it had the desired effect when I started; improve my overall wellbeing? This post is a reflection of sorts on the last year, what has changed, what I have learned, and what my plans are for the next year and beyond.

    Let’s start with what you might think is the bleeding obvious…

    I’ve read more

    Duh!

    But also, I’ve really read more. Over the last year on my phone I have read twenty books, abandoned one absolutely terrible book about 20% of the way through, and I am currently 55% of the way through my latest choice. Many of these books were Terry Pratchett books I had been wanting to read for some time, but in the last couple of months I had started to diversify a bit. I’ve also started a to-be-read pile online with a couple of books I will be tackling once I have finished The Portable Door.

    I’ve really read more

    As well as reading more on my phone, I have read more of the (many, many) books I have in my real life to-be-read pile. With less time spent doomscrolling on the phone, this has given me time to read, especially on an evening once the Toddler is in bed. I am currently working my way through the complete Earthsea collection, a hefty tome I might not have considered tackling a year ago for fear I would not have the time.

    I’ve listened more

    I am not sure if they are directly linked, but since giving up my doomscrolling, I have listened to more podcasts. Some of these are short stories, but mostly they are the selection of history shows I follow, a list which has only grown over the last year. I cannot quantify exactly how much, but I know I have spent more time listening and learning since the doomscrolling ceased.

    I’m writing more

    As well as having time to read, I have time on an evening to keep up to my plan to write something every day. Before, this might have been only a line or two before bed, now it can be pages of work on a good day. Over the last year I have finished one book, edited it and now I am submitting it to agents for consideration. I am also close to the first draft of a Christmas novella. Off the phone and at the keyboard has seen my productivity increase significantly.

    My phone is missing me

    Each Monday my phone gives me a breakdown of phone usage over the last week. Prior to giving up scrolling, this would often be to tell me my average use had gone up. Since stopping scrolling, the semi-judgemental comments have stopped, and each day I am averaging very little time on the phone. It is not just the summary which confirms my slow breakup with my phone, other than days I use my phone as a sat nav for long drives, the battery will easily last me the whole day.

    I’m less connected

    There is no getting around it, I am less connected to news and events taking place around the world. Now this is not necessarily a bad thing, news (social media based or otherwise) is biased towards negative stories, so less connection can be a positive thing. At the same time, being completely cut off from the world is a privileged position not everyone can afford to take. I am still using my RSS feed and checking on a news website daily for the headlines, but I only do so once a day. I am less connected, but not disconnected.

    I am happier?

    The purpose of the original post advising people to read more and scroll less was to improve people’s wellbeing and happiness. I did not have any worries about my mental health when I started this experiment, but I could see I would have more bad mood days when I had been heavy on the scrolling.

    So am I happier a year down the line?

    Probably… yes, maybe. How we feel day to day is a complex process. A big traumatic event on its own can impact how we are feeling, but smaller factors like the news we consume are not going to determine our mood alone. That being said, my outlook on life does seem a little more cheerful one year on. I certainly have a more positive view of the future than the Wife who has not changed her consumption habits. Of course the Wife’s view could be correct, everything is terrible and any positive views are deluded, but I’m sure there is a little more nuance to it, and cutting down the doomscrolling has at the very least given me a more balanced perspective.

    The next 365 days

    The biggest question I am left with, will I keep this up?

    Short answer; yes.

    Slightly longer answer; yes I will.

    Actual answer which can form the conclusion of this post; yes I will keep my reading-instead-of-scrolling plan going for the next year and probably longer. Whether I will extend the plan to further replace my digital dependence is not something I have fully thought through. At the moment I am happy with the balance I have achieved, think the benefits above far outweigh the downsides, and there will be a point where I cannot switch off completely. As much as I would love to throw away the phone and live in a cabin in the woods, it’s not going to happen and time soon, and that is (probably) OK.

    #Books #Doomscrolling #Phone #Reading #Scrolling #SocialMedia