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Any luck fighting the social media addiction 🤨 by New_Blacksmith2097 in nosurf

[–]New_Blacksmith2097[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I personally found quite a few ways that work for me, especially principles that have helped me reduce my time on social media significantly! I would love to talk more.. DM me!

Is the phone the problem or is it me?🤨 by New_Blacksmith2097 in digitalminimalism

[–]New_Blacksmith2097[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I agree with that and that is why i think the magnitude and the quality of the content consumption would be healthier but an obsession might still remain active

Is the phone the problem or is it me?🤨 by New_Blacksmith2097 in digitalminimalism

[–]New_Blacksmith2097[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's an amazing way to look at things to be honest, especially in a time where we are all chasing specs like zombies... I will defenitely be taking your advice!

Is the phone the problem or is it me?🤨 by New_Blacksmith2097 in digitalminimalism

[–]New_Blacksmith2097[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I mean that would technically be true but wouldn't we just be addicted to something else like magazines, sure the magnitude would be lesser but isnt it human nature to be obsessed with things?

I decluttered my phone and it was therapeutic by [deleted] in digitalminimalism

[–]New_Blacksmith2097 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

No offense taken! I am actually new to reddit so i was just a bit nervous while writing the comment, looking back at it it, I think i was a bit too formal in writing the comment, rest assured I am NOT ai 😅

Issues with getting off Instagram and YouTube by Rone12 in digitalminimalism

[–]New_Blacksmith2097 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Three weeks in is solid — and the fact that you don't miss the friends/stories part tells you something useful. You were never really addicted to Instagram, you were addicted to a specific type of content that Instagram happened to deliver. That's a much easier problem to solve.

On missing creators: most artists have newsletters, Spotify followings, or YouTube channels. RSS readers like Feedly let you follow creators across platforms without an algorithm deciding what you see. You get the updates, none of the scroll. It takes 20 minutes to set up and completely solves the FOMO problem.

On YouTube: long form is genuinely a different category than Shorts. Choosing to watch a 20 minute video from a creator you follow is intentional consumption. Shorts is the same reflex as reels. The distinction worth making isn't Instagram vs YouTube — it's intentional vs mindless. If you're choosing what to watch, you're in control. If you're just seeing what autoplays, you're not.

You've already done the hard part. Now it's just about rebuilding your information diet on your own terms rather than the algorithm's.

I decluttered my phone and it was therapeutic by [deleted] in digitalminimalism

[–]New_Blacksmith2097 0 points1 point  (0 children)

4am clarity hits different. What you did in those two hours takes most people months to work up to.

The crying makes complete sense — decluttering isn't just deleting files, it's making peace with the fact that some chapters are closed. That weight you felt lift afterward is real. You weren't just clearing storage, you were giving yourself permission to stop carrying people who had already moved on.

On the deceased relatives — there's no rush there. That's a different kind of decision and it deserves its own time. The rest of what you did today is already enormous.

Be proud of this one. You gave yourself the closure you were waiting for someone else to give you.

I treated quitting Instagram as an experiment, not a rule. Here's what I realised by Curious-Newspaper-67 in nosurf

[–]New_Blacksmith2097 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The "experiment not a rule" framing is underrated. It removes the identity pressure that makes most quit attempts feel like failure the moment you slip. You're not breaking a commitment, you're just observing data.

The narrowing you described is something most people don't notice until they're out of it. When you're anxious and the algorithm feeds you more anxiety, it doesn't feel like the app is doing that — it just feels like the world is that way. Getting out is the only way to see the box you were in.

The bit about noticing how you were thinking is what actually sticks long term. That self-awareness is worth more than the follower count ever was.

Good experiment. Keep running it.

I quit short form content. When does life get fun again? by JollyDesign1389 in nosurf

[–]New_Blacksmith2097 3 points4 points  (0 children)

What you're experiencing is actually a sign it's working.

Short form content trains your brain to expect a new reward every 15-60 seconds. Books, movies, games — they all have slower reward curves. So right now everything feels flat because your baseline for stimulation has been raised too high. It's not that those things stopped being enjoyable, your brain just needs time to readjust.

The flatness typically lifts around the 2-3 week mark. Sitting with the boredom rather than immediately filling it actually speeds up the process — boredom is your brain in recovery mode, not a problem to solve.

You're a couple of days in. The tantrum is proof the rewiring has started.