Unwiring my brain

Recently started reading Nicholas Carr's The Shallows (haven't finished it yet) about how modern media and the internet have changed the way we think. The book is from 2011, and things have only gotten worse and more sophisticated.

This issue has been bothering me for a long time, the very fact that people who are paid to do this are hacking my brain to profit someone other than me. Immediately I started taking notes and mapping out escape routes.

Plan 1 - Quit the game

• You delete all your social media accounts, untag your phone.
• Change your iPhone to a push-button phone.
• And the macbook to a lenovo with linux.
• You go into the woods, build a hut.

This plan is not very viable if you depend on modern media in some way, for example, if you are in those industries and work as a marketer, designer or frontender, and not as a devops or security guy. To be visible on the labour market without being a brilliant specialist who only needs word of mouth, you need accounts at least on hh and Linkedin.

Plan 2 - Write your own rules

There are variations here depending on your self-control skills.

Social media

• Screen time limiters. The Opal app even in the free version works quite well. Or you can use system applications.
• Remove apps from your phone's home screen.
• Remove dangerous apps from your phone. Using instagram from the desktop is inconvenient, and also there it does not know how to show adverts yet. It may not work with Twitter, although it is enough to read the content itself or remember that Ilon Musk owns it.
• Browser instead of apps. More and more products are pushing users to install an app, for example, by cutting the functionality of the mobile version in the browser or giving access to discounts and other perks. Marketplace Wildberries requires an installed mobile app even to log into an account, no longer sending codes via SMS. And the app in turn gives quick access to the user's attention.
• Unlogging from dangerous services and preventing the computer from remembering login details. So many obstacles to accessing content will gradually cause thoughts of ‘What the fuck do I need it’.
• Delete accounts. I can't delete instagram yet, as it has remained the only way to connect with some acquaintances, and also a way to receive services. For example, I now can't link up with my makeup artist anywhere but insta direct. So, by the way, putting Facebook messenger in a separate app made sense. But I deleted Facebook too.

Devices

If at all possible, you should categorise your tasks into appropriate devices and not lump them all into one:

• Phone - for tasks that require quick access and short interaction: make a call, write a short message, set a timer and alarm, play music on headphones (you have to admit, nowadays it only makes sense to buy separate players for audiophiles), make a quick note. ‘Taking away’ features from the phone is the main task, because attention-grabbing patterns are most effective in mobiles: push notifications, instant access to the app for every sneeze, tactile interactions, pleasant animations, bright screen, and so on. See ‘Browser instead of app’.
• An e-book for reading. Or paper ones eventually, if you always live in the same place. I have a tablet with an app for that, with books in the cloud. I also draw on it in ProCreate, that is + stylus. I need to figure out how to connect the kindle to the cloud.
• Computer for working, writing, watching videos, storing information. For me, working on a computer is the most enjoyable, buying a macbook has fundamentally improved my life.
• Watch - analogue. I haven't worn an Apple Watch for a fortnight and I don't see any difference in my lifestyle. Steps are counted quite successfully by the phone, steps without the phone can be estimated. They lie about calorie expenditure, you can count heart rate with your finger and a timer.

Plan 3 - creating alternative tools.

You can opt for more sophisticated and free ways to create and consume content. A thought notebook instead of Twitter with endless 280-character boilerplate jokes. If you want feedback — a blog on Telegram with posts about the past week instead of Instagram with continuous posting of stories.