I really enjoyed reading How to Break Up With Your Phone. I wish more of it had "stuck," (detox is hard!), but it gifted me a perspective I'm not sure I would've had otherwise.
Yeah, I loved the read too - it helped me name a lot of what was going on, and gave me some good ideas an work-arounds. But none of it truly "stuck" as I would hope, which I think Catherine Price warns about as part of the premise of the book. She doesn't make any big promises because the level of addiction built into the devices is unprecedented, our brains really have no way to defend against it. I think utilizing some of her strategies is WAY better than doing nothing at all and just raw-dogging it, especially if you find you've developed certain unconscious repetitive patterns happening over and over.
So much to relate to here. I have been slowly inching away from chronic smartphone use and am glad others are feeling similar things about it... Thank you!
Thank you Kate for this invitation. I have a Light Phone 3 on order, expecting for it to be delivered by the end of August at this point. I appreciate your thoughts on “ramping down” screen time/digital addictions. My current plan is to put my phone in a cubbie, in a clear dome of some sort, held aloft like the rose in Beauty and the Beast or like the Pandora’s box that it actually is. I might surround the cubbie with quotes to get me to slow my roll if I feel the urge to reach for it. I’m an Adbusters reader and their Mental Liberation Front campaign often use the quote “Live without dead time” to encourage people to put down their phones, that’ll probably be a banner across the top. I want my mind back - and I feel what Silicon Valley has done to global attention/provacy is worthy of an international criminal court investigation.
There are lots of tricks to slow the roll for sure, but how wild is it that the drive is so strong that we have to build internal battles plans against the allure - it feels very Homer on route sailing past the sirens. I'd love to know how it goes for you as you explore. I'm only on day 2 and finding all sorts of interesting things - today I habitually picked up my lightphone to look at it about a dozen times, except there is nothing to look at. My friend and I had a mighty laugh while we were hanging... like, what I am a doing, looking at the time?? It's just such a huge habit in my body at this point.
That habitual reach - yep I know that one well. I used to have the habitual thumb reach to tap on the Instagram app (back when I had an account 3+ years ago) and it was so subconscious that the app would open and I would not have remembered tapping it. Scary really. Excited to hear how your journey goes! This need to take back our collective attention feels increasingly very urgent, I’m feeling it and am glad to be in good company with others who feel it too.
Kate, you are a fricking MARVEL. I support you, applaud you, appreciate you, will join you in your leadership on this 1000%.
I have SO much to say on this topic, but will keep my passions slightly at bay here. Really, most important I think to communicate to YOU, is how important and powerful the details of your experience are in this piece. While I reach for my phone differently, for tech differently, I was with you in your kitchen. I was with you in those moments of choice, of discomfort and lack... and I'm with you in your disillusionment and fury. There's a great reclamation afoot, and shame on us if we're not going to fan the flames and move folks thru the exits. WITH YOU, girl!!!
You're writing is amazing. I think I will follow your lead on the light phone. Sounds like it will be at least a bit life changing for me.
Thanks Mike - if you do, let me know how it goes. I'm a month into my experiment and loving it, zero regrets: https://littledoor.substack.com/p/phone-cried-withdrawal?r=1rtp80
I really enjoyed reading How to Break Up With Your Phone. I wish more of it had "stuck," (detox is hard!), but it gifted me a perspective I'm not sure I would've had otherwise.
Yeah, I loved the read too - it helped me name a lot of what was going on, and gave me some good ideas an work-arounds. But none of it truly "stuck" as I would hope, which I think Catherine Price warns about as part of the premise of the book. She doesn't make any big promises because the level of addiction built into the devices is unprecedented, our brains really have no way to defend against it. I think utilizing some of her strategies is WAY better than doing nothing at all and just raw-dogging it, especially if you find you've developed certain unconscious repetitive patterns happening over and over.
So much to relate to here. I have been slowly inching away from chronic smartphone use and am glad others are feeling similar things about it... Thank you!
Thank you Kate for this invitation. I have a Light Phone 3 on order, expecting for it to be delivered by the end of August at this point. I appreciate your thoughts on “ramping down” screen time/digital addictions. My current plan is to put my phone in a cubbie, in a clear dome of some sort, held aloft like the rose in Beauty and the Beast or like the Pandora’s box that it actually is. I might surround the cubbie with quotes to get me to slow my roll if I feel the urge to reach for it. I’m an Adbusters reader and their Mental Liberation Front campaign often use the quote “Live without dead time” to encourage people to put down their phones, that’ll probably be a banner across the top. I want my mind back - and I feel what Silicon Valley has done to global attention/provacy is worthy of an international criminal court investigation.
There are lots of tricks to slow the roll for sure, but how wild is it that the drive is so strong that we have to build internal battles plans against the allure - it feels very Homer on route sailing past the sirens. I'd love to know how it goes for you as you explore. I'm only on day 2 and finding all sorts of interesting things - today I habitually picked up my lightphone to look at it about a dozen times, except there is nothing to look at. My friend and I had a mighty laugh while we were hanging... like, what I am a doing, looking at the time?? It's just such a huge habit in my body at this point.
That habitual reach - yep I know that one well. I used to have the habitual thumb reach to tap on the Instagram app (back when I had an account 3+ years ago) and it was so subconscious that the app would open and I would not have remembered tapping it. Scary really. Excited to hear how your journey goes! This need to take back our collective attention feels increasingly very urgent, I’m feeling it and am glad to be in good company with others who feel it too.
Kate, you are a fricking MARVEL. I support you, applaud you, appreciate you, will join you in your leadership on this 1000%.
I have SO much to say on this topic, but will keep my passions slightly at bay here. Really, most important I think to communicate to YOU, is how important and powerful the details of your experience are in this piece. While I reach for my phone differently, for tech differently, I was with you in your kitchen. I was with you in those moments of choice, of discomfort and lack... and I'm with you in your disillusionment and fury. There's a great reclamation afoot, and shame on us if we're not going to fan the flames and move folks thru the exits. WITH YOU, girl!!!
Thank you Bree! I appreciate the support and solidarity. It's an artistic experiment for sure!
✊🏻⚡️🔥