Will a Dumbphone Fix Your Social Media Addiction?
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- Опубліковано 29 тра 2024
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Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:30 The dumbphone trend
04:21 What problem are dumbphones solving?
05:55 What should you do instead?
06:55 Screen Time & Digital Wellbeing
07:27 Focus, Do Not Disturb & Wind Down
08:33 The problem with notifications
09:12 Automated/scripted notifications
09:41 Three types of notifications
11:12 Turning your smartphone into a dumbphone
13:20 Outro - Наука та технологія
might work for some, but from my own experience there's a real issue of "creeping" back to the normal smartphone state over time. you dial back your smartphone experience as described here. Then one day, a little snafu w/ sth., so you (have to) enable one of the smartphone features again. maybe you don't disable it again later. and so on. and a few months later, you're using it again like everybody else does. bottom line: it costs active discipline/willpower to restrain yourself from sliding back. that resource, as psychological research demonstrates again & again, is limited. having a device that's restricted out of the box solves that.
Yes, well stated!!
True, but if you use a smartphone more of a tool rather than just being a small media consuming machine then it's just fine.
exactly , if i had that willpower to use it less in the first place , i might not have needed to do all this "restriction".
The main reason people want to do this is because they dont have enough will power to intentionally cut down screen time. e.g. - Yeah, its easily possible to put a timer on an app, but it is extremely easy to delete it too. So , say if u were watching a video and the app shuts down in the middle, u most likely will delete the timer and forget to set it back again.
But if u use a "dumb phone" , the friction to use those apps in the first place is more
Exactly
this is what happened to me, i set screentime restrictions on my phone and within a week i was just turning them off to get into the apps i wanted. i know it's not a positive trait at all but i know myself and i have zero self control lol the only option at this point is to get rid of the smartphone altogether and make social media a computer only thing
I've tried everything that you mentioned in the video, but none of it worked for me. I have a social media addiction, as well as a crippling pornography addiction. I will go to any length to be able to get my "fix". It's honestly ruining my life. So, in my case, the next logical step is getting a feature phone/dumbphone
Same. I’m getting a dumb phone soon as I’ll do conscription in my country, and I suspect it’ll help me get more / higher quality sleep while there. And, as it lasts a couple of months, hopefully the internet/porn addiction will be less potent once the service is over.
Perfectly stated. Same here.
Download the BlockerX for the smartphone which app blocks all porn
Try changing one thing at a time and yes switch to dumb phone initially you'll devastated but that's exactly what should happen you have self destruct and then rebuild if you're life goes a bit uncomfortable welcome to your new improvement path and it feels like damn everything going good in a straight line manner then no
But all the best
tell me did it work for you?
"People rarely stick with radical changes." This is very true and the incremental route will bring a lot of long-term changes instead of short term. Thanks for your video and addition to the digital minimalism conversation. If I could offer a short "rebuttal" it would be that I got the Light Phone 2 because I wanted a phone with fewer functions.
In 2019, I decided that I wanted a slower lifestyle and the Light Phone fit into the life I wanted. It is true that you can change your smartphone into a more basic experience and I actually think that this is the best path for a lot of people, but the smartphone association for me has always pulled me back to constant use. There is just something about my brain and the smartphone feel that prompted me to use it more. By having a lower specced device that was already restricted, I eliminated the constant retraining of my brain and accepted the new slower functioning phone. On your other points, I agree for sure. Thanks for your content!
Ya if you are working on curbing a social media addiction or if you just don't want it bothering you I think a better solution would be to install software that block usage from those apps like AppBlock or Detoxify. I think purposefully gimping your capablilites just for the sake of keeping off social media is a bit too much for me personally
I strongly disagree with this but I am a pretty atypical person when it comes to habits.
For some of us it's better to perform a radical change. A lot of people that dumb down their phones end up invariably "un-dumbing" them as they find excuses to do so, and end up back where they started. I tried a flip phone (running KaiOS) and it was okay but felt gimmicky. I recently switched to a Light Phone 2 and it feels natural. I miss less and less all the shiny stuff in my smartphone.
The LP2 gets me directions, podcasts, music, alarms, notes (both voice and text), text messaging with groups, and sends SMS with links and media automatically to my email. I haven't missed my smartphone in daily use. I still carry my Pixel 6 Pro with me, but I use it as a mini computer; it's stuffed in my bag, and if I need it, I turn on the hotspot in my LP2 and then use what I need. The additional friction makes my usage more intentional on purpose.
However, all that might not be an option for many, and the tips you present here are quite good. But I definitely disagree with the assessment that using a dumbphone it's a sort of influencer fad.
Good content!
yep that is what happens to me. It's like I need google to see the article someone send me through WhatsApp. So you go an enable google on you phone again. If you have google you can access UA-cam and then you spend 4 hrs watching UA-cam videos.
Going full light phone though isn't an option for me. My family uses WhatsApp and we have WhatsApp groups, my friends use WhatsApp too. And this groups are really important to me since through this groups is how we plan to meet. And also my university sends emails if a class for whatever reason gets canceled, or to see my grades. I also like to have a camera since sometimes you want to take a picture of something interesting, like maybe you start reading a book a friend recommended and you want to send him a picture of the cover.
That's why I decided to go with the Qin f21. I think is the best option for what I want.
@@laureanooliva7836 i also have the qin f21 for the same reason
you get it. have had the same experience w/ "dumbing down" my iphone. LP2 + a 1-2 generations old iphone max or ipad mini as "travel computer" is where my sweet spot is as well.
@@laureanooliva7836what carrier? Did you get Google version? This looks like the perfect middle ground but no seller on eBay will tell me if it will work. I’m confused by the frequency bands. If I could use it on mint that would be perfect!
The Light Phone 2 in the end is a trick, it is too expensive and it is supposed to make you more natural but with a price and some features of a normal smartphone
Your “why” has to be strong enough to motivate you stick to your goal.
Asking people addicted to social media to keep their smartphones is like asking an alcoholic to keep all their bottles. This logic makes no sense.
You can't get drunk on bottles, smartass.
no, problem is not the phone. an empty smartphone is usually not addictive.
it's the apps, especially social media apps that are designed to keep you on the app as long as possible and come back as often as possible plus the endless notifications to remind and tempt you not to forget.
the problem for alcoholics is not that they have empty glasses in their house, it's the alcohol being poured into it. they need to get the alcohol out of the house.
for me it worked. uninstalled tiktok. got a replacement: ipod for disconnected music + podcast consumption, so I spend even less time on my phone.
still have my iphone but use it under 1h per day now, intentionally.
@@dominicpascal5512wrong, it’s the ease of access. if an alcoholic could get alcohol in 5 seconds, it would be much harder to quit. it’s also why drug users need to get rid of their drug using friends if they want to have a chance. an empty smartphone still means u can go back to ur addiction is seconds just by hitting the download button. congratulations that your willpower worked for you, but if you never even tried the basic things to quit like uninstalling, then were u ever really that addicted?
I am going to get a dumbphone because it's too convenient.
It will not be a cure-all but it will be a deterrent by not always having a smartphone in my pocket everywhere I go.
If I want to play games I have my switch. If I want music I have my mp3 player. If I want UA-cam, to browse and social media, Reddit ect. I can use my Chromebook. If I want to call and text for work and family and friends and have the basics of alarm clock, calendar, calculator ect I bring the Dumbphone everywhere I go. Not a dopamine zombie box.
This post made no sense. You act as if people have zero agency. If that's the case a dumb phone won't be a long term answer either. They will eventually revert to a smartphone or PC to get their fix.
I tried to do incremental things.. no social media notifications, month long breaks, deleting apps from my phone and only using it online. Nope! The billions of dollars that went into these websites to make me addicted were really spent well. About a year ago I just deleted all my social media accounts. Best decision I’ve made in a long time!
Totally agree that we don’t need to capitalism our way out of the social media problem w/ fancy dumb phones. My screen time went down by hours, and now is only ever over an hour if I use navigation or have a nostalgic photos scroll.
Will this work for everyone? Idk. I just know myself. I started using social media around age 12, despite my parents best efforts to disuade me from doing so. As it has evolved, I’ve realized that my life is just better when it’s spent in reality. Obv I still enjoy UA-cam but I’m way better w limits now and only use it on my iPad at home.
It’s not ideal and for those of us who need extreme friction, there is no ideal, we just have to choose to be inconvenienced.
How to not drink alcohol? Don’t buy alcohol, or pour it out if you do.
How to not overeat? Don’t keep fast-prepare food at home. Etc. there are things like this that people like me already do in our lives to help things we struggle with.
And it turns out that, even if you have the discipline to not eat the chips, to not drink the alcohol, to not watch UA-cam, that you can still waste tons of energy and time struggling with suppressing the temptation.
Nothing quite helps with suppressing temptations like knowing for a fact that it will require a certain amount of time and effort to satisfy it.
It can mean the difference between suppressing your urges for 2 hours a day, and immediately remembering that it isn’t an option, that it’s at least 20min driving to go get your smartphone, 45min to cook the rice, a trip down to the package store to buy the wine.
It just isn’t an option so you don’t waste cycles on it.
Exactly!
Unfortunately the smartphone will be there, if you take it with you at some point you will see UA-cam, Facebook or Instagram or Tiktok etc. The best thing is to buy a stupid phone that only uses WhatsApp to return to normal life, I tried all the methods with my smartphone and in the end I returned to the same thing. Now I bought a Blu Tank Flip and I feel happy
I've been living with a dumbphone for some time now, however with some tradeoffs:
- It isn't a classic dumbphone, but a Nokia 6300 with access to apps and 4G, in a 2.4 inch screen
- I have an old smartphone with whatsapp, but I only use it to login to whatsapp web for work purposes
- I occasionally use banking apps and transport apps on this old smartphone
- I still use UA-cam and occasionally Reddit, but my rule is to use specifically the desktop versions
I did this because I started suffering serious mental health issues, and it has really been a good thing. I didn't abandon social media entirely, just separated them from my phone and started using them in a harsher environment. My social media usage has gone down drastically.
My mental health is improving, but nothing is instant, it takes time. The first two weeks were annoying, then I started getting used to the new situation. I play little games and listen to music on my phone, my productivity increased slightly but my rest hours are much, much better overall
The point of buying a more limited phone (like a nokia with S30+ or KaiOS, not a 300€ device) is that the incremental changes you can get with your current iPhone or you current Android is that it is much harder to stick with new habits on the "symptom" of your current addiction. Navigating UA-cam or Facebook with a keyboard on a much smaller screen is not gonna happen the same way.
You're talking about throwing the baby out with the bathwater, but I don't understand what baby we are talking about. When you are always available and constantly on the phone (and trust me, I was) you're throwing out your connection with the time and place you're at with the phone. Yes, I'm a bit harder to reach, but it's not like I'm missing anything important by not getting it right now.
All the settings for the smartphone that you mention are not fixes, they are bandaids. At least for me - I've tried them all. But when my need for a dopamine kick takes over all of those settings are undone in seconds. There is no way to make it permanent or unbreakable. The settings might work for you, but they are not really arguments FOR having a smartphone. They are arguments for change, what route you take doesn't have to be universal. A dumbphone isn't for everyone, but neither is a smartphone.
For the past 5 years (maybe even longer) I have never not known where my smartphone is for any extended amount of time, whether I've used an Android or iPhone. For the past 2 months with a Nokia feature phone I've regularly lost it in my flat. Which is liberating. if somebody NEEDS my attention (whether with a text or call) it will get my attention, but my phone is no longer the center of my life. What is true though, is that a lot of my dopamine is now just coming from laptop-usage, so that is where my current battle is. Fortuneately a laptop is much easier to reign in with hard limits through applications that are actually allowed to take control of the device, such as Cold Turkey. It is also impossible to use while driving and very inconvinient to use on the bus. This has led to me reading a lot more, spending more time in the present and being way more "present" in my mind.
I haven't seen anyone say that a dumbphone is for everyone, but I do believe a lot of people really need to change their tech habits. I see so many people wearing in-ears while talking to their friends, driving, looking at their screens on dates or worse. People stand around waiting for the bus with a kink in their neck, never catching a break from input. That's how I felt at least, and I could not put the smartphone down. So I got rid of it. But what route is right is personal, and we all have to learn how to navigate this new connected world in a way that works for each of us - the dumbphone is just one route. If screen time, wind down and black and white screens work for you - enjoy it. It just didn't work for me.
when will we see a bald wolfgang with a massive beard?
Heisenberg
One does not exclude the other :)
That guy's on techaltar.
oh right, hbomberguy
about the same time he starts doing boomer rants in the woods.
Another great option, at least on Android, is installing a minimal launcher. I personally use "Before". It lets you set up a minimal home screen that only has the apps you care about and also lets you filter notifications into "important" and "noise", so that you still get important notifications like normal, but the noise gets sent to a single big list you can just check every once in a while (I usually check every few days) and clear with a single tap. This is a great option because you still have the ability to see all of the apps installed so you don't have to give up the good parts of a smartphone you mentioned.
This combined with just uninstalling social media apps that I was spending too much time on (twitter and reddit, mostly) I have greatly cut down on time staring at my phone.
Buzzkill is another GREAT option to create rules for notifications
For example I like setting a maximum of one notification every 15 minutes for messaging apps, avoiding receiving 17 notifications in 4 minutes when this annoying friends sends you tons of small messages in a short time, and I'm instead receiving one notification and then nothing from this person for 15 minutes at least. If they write again after 15 minutes, I'll receive another notification, which is good to remind me I still didn't check what they say and it might be important if they try again.
Basically lets you do what should be native on Android (and iOS ?) but sadly Android doesn't give us very fine grained control of notifications over time (yet). Buzzkill kinda remedy this on Android. Idk about iOS since I've never used it.
Niagara launcher does this as well but it also has the best user interface elimnating the need for an app drawer.
@@kongengorm3360 Ok, I really need to try those launchers!
Used to be a fan of Blloc's Ratio launcher in this regard (am an iPhone user nowadays). Can also recommend KISS Launcher for minimal minimal stuff
i completely agree, i had the exact same thoughts. i "dumbed down" my android phone with literally basically all your suggestions before i even found your video. android even has launchers that changed icons into just text. its nice but my issue with smartphones on top of social media is porn addiction. i cant fight the urgh to turn off limiters and toggle color and so on. its a habit that is stuck with me since high school. i did the radical thing and bought a lite phone...and youre right its a pain but it works for a bit...however ive never stuck with it because the convinence of a smartphones keyboard, navigation, assistant, voice to speech and spotify etc etc makes my life so much easier. its a constent battle with myself and im not sure how to fix it. if only i could make my own phone. id make a affordable well performing android phone with all android features except without the browser, most app installs, nor social media, keep the assistent, and tool apps like notes, calanders, navigation andoid auto music and podcast apps and possibly certain email and communcation apps like outlook, whatsapp or teams for work
Hows it goin so far?
I think most would benefit from using a dumbphone for some time, just to see what their priorities are and what it looks like to have to interact with people for directions on the street, be bored while walking or waiting in a line, waking up with a physical alarm clock etc. Then after a few months, you have a clear vision of what you really need a smartphone for, which is really just a few utilities, and then you can buy any cheap smartphone that can do those. And most importantly, you'll lose FOMO from social media and you won't want to have it anymore.
He's right, the solution is to delete your social media accounts, not to dumb down your phone.
This is awesome. Thank you for the time you took to make this video!
Instead of buying a brick phone ive just removed a ton of apps off my smartphone. I kept my banking, train tickets, whatsapp, youtube and a couple others just that make everyday life convenient
Great video. Like hearing your opinions.
On using phone cameras with a black and white filter: It shouldn't be a problem I think. Smartphone cameras are so good now that you can take a photo and guarantee that the colors are good.
The brightness will probably be the thing that needs adjusting, but this can easily be adjusted with a black and white filter.
My pb with smartphone is not social networks or addiction, it's app tracking and privacy issues. That's what make me desire a dumb phone.
Well, in that case the only solution is not using the social media apps at all. But you probably know this already
@@WolfgangsChannel yeah. a de-googled phone.
I discovered the benefit of not having your phone on your bedside table by accident. I use my phone as an alarm clock as I have like 5 of them set for various things and somehow I managed to train myself to grab my phone, solve a number puzzle by spamclicking and finally putting the phone on the table again all without actually waking up. Solution's very easy: Phone stays on the desk in the hardest to reach corner, so I have to get up and manage to not fall over my chair while grabbing the phone.
Thanks for the insight and advice Wolfgang’s :)
I think the ultimate solution to bad habits like scrolling instagram every 5 minutes is just to pick up a hobby or personal project that is fulfilling to yourself. We usually scroll through these apps because we have nothing better to do and its an easy form of entertainment. Dumbphones aren't a real answer to the issue, its just a means of preying on people's desperation to become less attached to their phone
Yeah I wish. I have hobbies, but neglect them for my smartphone
No, that's not how addiction works. You can't just cure an addiction like that.
@@antigone5520 yeah seriously, I hate hearing stuff like this because it pretends that phone addictions aren't real. You wouldn't tell an alcoholic to stop drinking by only ordering pepsi at the bar. And that isn't to say a dumbphone is a cure all, but for some, having a device strapped to you at all times that could endlessly absorb your attention is always going to result in relapsing back to bad habits. Even after deleting nearly everything from my phone and restricting every non essential function, I still found myself looking for any excuse to do anything on it. And believe me, I have plenty of other things I'd love to be doing rather than sitting on my phone.
These are not 'radical', they're just extreme. Radical grabs the problems by their root, indeed the better long term solution.
Cool, a lot of these things have been done to my phone. I got annoyed by the reflex to pick it up everytime it was doing something so I implemented quite a lot of your tips about 6 months ago. Now I find that I keep forgetting where my phone is because I'm not keeping tabs on it all day 🤣
I switched from a Nexus 6P to a nokia 3310 a few years ago because a relative needed a phone that could run google maps and I lent them my 6P. I never used social media on my phone so that wasn't the issue for me, but I never could go back to an actual smartphone as my "main" phone. Most of the time I'll just carry the small 3310 in my pocket, and only will take the android device if I know I'll need stuff like maps or a specific app (banking, transport, etc). We tend to forget rather quickly how convenient these smaller phones were. With a sparse usage I could probably have it last over 2 weeks on a single charge, and worst case scenario I can swap the battery.
There are some downsides tho, most importantly, people assuming that you'll be available on Telegram/Whatsapp/Discord/whatever. Bluetooth audio works fine but the media player is abysmal and takes forever to navigate if you load the SD card with a lot of music.
Very good video. To help me with phone calls, on my Android phone, I created groups - Family, Interested Parties and everything else was default. For Family I downloaded a vibrant music slice that I was sure to hear, for interested parties, I downloaded a less compelling music slice (music slices will get your attention faster than harps and chimes). For default, I recorded 3 seconds of dead air (no sound) and made that my default ring tone. I did enable a short vibrate in case I need to know someone called. Net - dramatic drop in useless calls. Phone becomes a tool and happily resides in my pocket unless the tool is needed.
the last bit about turning your smartphone into a dumbphone has helped me so much with my screen time. I have even disabled safari on it and only use safari on my macbook.
I think the Android equivalent is the "Do not disturb" mode. It mutes all sounds and hides all notifications other than system updates. A pretty good setting if it's unlikely that anyone is going to need to contact you urgently, you can just look at the text messages when you feel like it.
I've just done some Sundays with all computers&phone turned off every now and then for my minimalism. Can get kinda boring though, probably won't do it during the winter unless I find a good book or something.
Yep I Constantly have my phone on Do not disturb 24/7 although I do allow phone calls through.
I've had my cheap smartphone for over two years, and I never knew it had a display feature for black and white. Thanks. I like it.
This is why I've made my smartphone into a dumb phone. I use the minimalist phone app and I've blocked all my acces to social media. I still have the ability to take great photos, use the Kindle app, use google maps etc but I can't have access to the things that were destroying my life. It's been one of the best things I've ever done
Minimalist phone + an old or very low end smartphone is really the best solution
Thanks, exactly what I needed to hear and know!
I will say that having my OP6 with it's unnecessarily large notch allowing at most, 4 notifications, has really helped me dial in how much I should be seeing at any given time. On a further note I've actually disabled the status bar clock which both cuts down on screen burn-in, and I'd have to actually lock the device or pull the shade down to check the time. Why this is important is because I wear a watch anyway.
KISS launcher is a FOSS home screen launcher for Android, and it's very clean in both function and aesthetics. You get a single bar for your app icons and a search bar where you have to type in whatever application you want to access. By now it's become muscle memory to me and I highly encourage people to give it a try because it really is just so darn clean looking. It also means you can have a fancy live wallpaper that doesn't get obscured by anything.
This isn't even like, a conscious effort to "cut down on my media consumption" or anything. I just got tired of having to look at my phone all the time and swipe away notifications like I'm plucking weeds. If something needs my attention now, it has a much more optimized path to getting to me, and I feel great for it. At the end of the day, it's just tweaking settings accordingly, slowly, methodically. Oh and just, disable Discord notifications. Be kind to yourself.
I’ve been looking into getting a Nokia 8000 4g despite enjoying my iPhone X that I bought off a friend almost 2 years ago.
I think it may be obvious, but I too have been interested in the dumbphone lifestyle thanks to the algorithm, and you’re right; People generally don’t stick to radical changes.
I’m a chronic gamer, so its not like I plan on ditching technology any time soon, I picked this Nokia specifically simply because it still has 4g, mobile hotspot, and still has some features that I use on my phone already.
Its kinda funny though, I don’t actually use very many apps or play any games on my smartphone, but the apps that I use feel very draining, and my iPhone battery threshold is about 75% anyway; so I thought it would be a good excuse for a replacement on top of that.
I have an iPad that I plan to use with the hotspot capabilities of the Nokia, so I’m not completely missing out on things that I might need like maps, or a quick google search. However I don’t actually have the Nokia yet simply because I haven’t ordered it/I’m waiting on a paycheque.
I have already done some of these steps before watching your video, and I agree that they’ve made my phone a lot less interesting; however my will to want to swap still goes back to battery life.
Like I said before, the battery life on my iPhone is at around 75%, and even with minimal apps/usage throughout the day, grayscale, AND low power mode, it still drains bigtime by the end of the day. The iPhone isn’t unusable, but its far from ideal; so I believe I’ll just keep it in the car as a backup phone in case anything happens to my (theoretical) Nokia, or my iPad.
I can’t quite remember what exactly my point was, but I do want to say that this video did provide some much needed insight. I hate how trends can be just as enlightening and they can be blinding (almost seems ironic how this trend is supposed to keep you away from your smartphone, but its also the reason I keep coming back), and I’m glad I watched this before truly making my own decision, but I think I’m going to continue down the dumbphone path, and I’ll be thinking of this video every step of the way.
Yes.. mine too.. I am using dumbphone since 1 year. And I thank my decision..
This is the definition of just because you dont prefer it doesnt make it a terrible choice. Just aint ya preference.
For people who will use grayscale but want to see colors while taking pictures, or viewing the pics. you can use shortcuts to automate switching colors.
Very well said bro. Thanks for the advice
Honestly I tried using a dumphone for a while and sure it was great, but it’s more about having discipline rather than just removing devices that can access the internet. I still need a smartphone for emails, google maps and online banking, you just have to be strict with yourself and instead, I found that digital minimalism helps me instead of
Thank you for this video. I've been thinking about doing a digital detox. I wanted to buy some cheap dumphone, but I couldn't find one that fits my needs. I'll try to unbloat my smartphone instead.
This was very well said! So glad you addressed many of the problems I had with all these trendy "downgrading to a dumbphone" videos that has been getting popular recently. I hope more people see your video instead so that they don't fall into the trap of buying a dumbphone to solve the wrong problem
For me it solved my problem whereas everything else had failed. I even had screen locks on my Iphone for almost every app and there was a screentime code someone else had typed in for me which I did NOT know (so no way of unlocking the apps) which even prevented my from preventing the screen lock! So this was a hard restriction. The only apps I could use for more than a few minutes a day were a web browser (just in case I needed to look something up) and Spotify. I still managed to use that IPhone for HOURS (and yes I have work, friends, hobbies, partner etc.) just for procrastination. Even in the spotify app I managed to get hours of screentime just by reading song lyrics or scrolling through artist descriptions or even (!) song credits.
This was when I realized I would just engange with ANY app on the smartphone regardless how interesting it is. I'm sure I would be able to spend hours browsing through Google Maps for example.
I can still use my work laptop of course, but I try to leave it at the office most days so I will have no internet device at home at all (today's obviously an exception). Never missed my smartphone. It's a real relief.
That's impressive! I am looking forward to playing your mod!
man that line of re evolution of feature phones to smart phones is a killer
You don't need a dumbphone for get ride of your social media addiction. Just buy an old iPhone with 16GBs of memory, and you will see how you can't use TikTok or Instagram without seeing a "Running out of space" mesaage.
Its brilliant how we both saw the CTT video at the same point in time, had the same conclusion, and did the exact same thing to minimize the screentime(down to the grayscale in dev. settings).
I did something different and went with a cheap smartphone for work + a dumbphone for personal use, my job is relatively stress-free but it is still a "job" so it is a good deterrent against the habit of picking randomly my smartphone to check at notifications and even though it performs ok for basic tasks like phone, camera, maps, etc, it sucks for bloated apps so using things like instagram/tiktok/youtube its a jarring experience. For weekends and off-work hours I use a Nokia 150 for calls and sms but I only shared that phone number with family and friends.
It is not the perfect solution but it works so far and has prevented me to go back to most social media apps or limit its time only when I am in front of my computer
The black&white trick helped me a lot, even with still having social media and notifications and every other distractions.
Great video! Covered all my thoughts.
When you have a social circle that matters to you that are tied in a social media service/IM, there's a possibility to reduce that reduce simply for that communication usage. I don't use TikTok due to I'm actually tied-up in UA-cam and I'm not settle with short videos. Glad that I'm not flooded of notifications and my setup of notifications allows me to discern between relevant notifications and skippable ones with different notification sounds. That's why I see the dumbphone comeback a *dumb idea* after all.
Even the first thing that I often test when I purchase a new smartphone is the call reception, because I often consider that call reception is more important than the rest of hardware capabilities.
for me, instead of FOMO kicking in, AMO (actually missing out) happens. everytime I've done a "detox" something big always seems to happen - my mom's in urgent care, a cousin got married, my loan is overdue, etc.. my issue ends up being which notifications should notify me and which should be disabled.
I'm currently on the long journey of cutting down my phone usage and I agree with everything you said in this video. Social media is the problem, not smartphones themselves.
Realistically, a smartphone is necessary in our daily lives. I personally find that I'd be greately inconvenienced if I didn't have my banking apps, 2FA, and bike computer controls.
The things that have worked for me are:
- Notification management
- Uninstalling apps
- ScreenZen for app blocking
- Mindfulness (this is really important to managing any sort of impulse that comes from within)
- A sunset alarm clock (I like Lumie)
- Sold my Apple Watch, got a traditional watch (I love G Shocks)
- Greyscale WITH BACKTAP! As a photographer, I love snapping photos on my phone, or sometimes greyscale gets in the way of something colour sensitive. Using backtap mapped to a triple tap to deactivate greyscale has been really handy. Of course, this requires more willpower, but its doable.
- Getting a 2023 Walkman: this step is totally optional but, to me, has been great. I can listen to music on Apple Music at lossless quality without any distractions. It's made listening to music fun again.
Good luck everyone. It's a journey of a lifetime with good days and bad days. Make your interactions with your phone purposeful and it will make life more meaningful!
For Android I can recommend the Ratio launcher it's completely build for digital well-being.
I think the only reason I'd want a feature phone is the novelity factor, really.
Using KISS Launcher or O Launcher depending on my mood, it only shows five or so selected programs in a list.
Background's just black and notifications as well as ring tones are turned off.
Only exception is Aquadroid which I actually need as I tend to forget to drink enough during the day otherwise.
Oh and UA-cam is disabled unless in use of course too.
11:06 best meme I've ever seen
Great video! Exactly how I feel. I have deleted all nuisance apps from my phone. Don't use Facebook, Twitter or Instagram anywhere. Never used TikTok, Snapchat or Pinterest. Using an app like Forest really helped me cut down my small screen time.
8:28 alarm schedules💀: am I a joke to you?💀
I remember Huawei phones having some sort of minimalist / old people mode that turned app icons into big tiles with text on it (ie instead of the settings cog you'd have a blue tile with "settings" written on it). Not sure if other Android phones feature something similar.
Sounds like extreme battery saver mode
i do have facebook , twitter accounts and ' reluctantly ' have a dumb phone , never had tiktok , its banned on my network
havent been on facebook for 6 years
havent been on twitter for 6 months
got rid of my smartphone 6 months ago and was quite happy with no phone but the mrs said i needed it for emergencies !! Our car has 2 buttons that you press if you break down it contacts the breakdown people and the second calls the police and automatically calls them if the airbags go off , so i think that covers my emergencies ,
i havent missed facebook or twitter
if i want drama then i sit with my chickens and watch them do their thing , now THATS drama !!!
Most valuable video about this issue!
>what is self control
This is some pretty solid advice - I will be trying black and white or greyscale.
If you use a custom android ROM without gapps, like GrapheneOS, there's actually less you can do in general. I've found it helped a lot with addiction.
i use ultra battery saver or i shut it down when i don't have to use it
Kann da eigentlich nur zustimmen. Ist eine super Idee mal die ganzen Benachrichtigungen auszuschalten und Social Media Apps den Rücken zu kehren. Super Video! Mach bitte weiter so. Gruß!
Light theme hurts my eyes and black and white is a no-go, so here's an alternative if you have Android and don't want to deal with giant colorful buttons: get a custom launcher and install an icon pack, no rooting necessary. I've used Nova Launcher in conjunction with the Min icon pack for years (dunno if the Min icon pack is still on the store, but you can find the apk online). Turns the giant ugly icons into small, minimalist icons _and_ it saves a ton of screen real estate. After that just use a dark wallpaper and you're good to go. Now you've got a screen that won't hurt to look at.
Well said.
it'd be great if something like grapheneOS had a build that included these tweaks by default. I bet the 'unplug' trend could be nudged towards a more privacy-centric phone ecosystem that way...
This guy is more mature than 99.99% of youtube.
Great video with lots of helpful real world tips
Hahah
I just signed in with all my social media on my PC. Whenever i have free time I have to get up, go to my office room, wait for my PC to start up and access them.
By the time Its opened, I see I have work to do and I just start working instead.
Its like on the old times, when you wanted to play videogames, you had to go back to your house or go to a safe place to connect that crappy ol' laptop. It makes it harder and you'll think it twice before doing it.
Hmm... I thought I had commented on this. Oh well, my fix is using two phones. A Unihertz Jelly 2 is my phone, were I have sms, bank apps, and other things I need. But no twitter, facebook, or anything else. Then I have another phone or tablet in my backpack that I only use when I sit down or does an active choice to pick it up. Oh, and turn off all notifications.
I remember the times when i use Java IRC & Whatsapp on my old Sony Ericsson phones, good times.
But nowadays, i just simply don't install Facebook (even lite) or Whatsapp or Twitter or TikTok; i even mute Signal and Telegram.
As it turns out, the problem isn't the phone or the social media, it's just that the most people i growing up with ended up being grumpy, jaded boorish old fug. i had more fun time not talking with them anyway. while others having Fear of Missing out, me being loner actually enjoy the Joy of Missing Out.
also, the digital wellbeing and the grey wallpaper really helps, thanks! i haven't ready to buy feature phone yet so... this helps.
Interesting, possibly something I need to consider!!
I really like a mode in my android phone called Super Power Saving in that u can only access calls, clock app, texts, maps, and two more apps that I chose to be Camera and Spotify
essentially making it a dumb phone. The battery lasts 2 and a half days usually on this mode!
I think besides texting navigation is the main thing I use my phone for, and I feel more addicted to social media on my desktop anyway, twitter, Reddit and youtube tabs are always open.
I bought my dumbphone sharp 601sh from japan, waiting for this and i cant wait any more to take my life back!!!
I've had my phone on do not disturb since like 2014 and I was perfectly fine with that, until I became a real adult and had to be more attentive to family members and bills.
I genuinely was so confused wiry you'd dying phone revolting revolution thing until I realized that I already limit myself on social media time and my notifications don't bother me because of do not disturb/focus. My phone has allowed me to experience things I could have never dreamt possible, even if that sounds like I'm exaggerating.
I live in analog country or coutry is still in 20 century, you dont need your smartphone for anything, and its great.
Hey, just curious, in your breakdown of dumbphones, why didn't you mention the myriad true-dumb options that DO have 4g? This is literally the solution to every problem with the other ones, and it's been a widely available feature in handsets that cost like $30 for over two years now.
I tried dumb-ifying my android phone, but disabling the google app to prevent internet access resulted in error messages that made it unusable. I and many others are internet addicts. Dumbifying a smartphone will never work on the truly-addicted, because the device is still capable of giving you what you crave. The addict finds excuses and justifications to undo their progress.
A handset that uses modern infrastructure with minimal features, such as the Nokia 105, is the correct solution. If you can't stop eating cookies, you don't put the cookie jar on the top shelf - you make sure they never enter your house to begin with.
Nice that you can fight your smartphone by actually making it *SMART*
Notification for lightning nearby, is really good then you are on a hike, seek shelter
Although I went for the MP02, I like your perspective on the issue. But there is a non-trivial difference between a) being in 1-touch distance between the standard smartphone experience and the regulated (e.g. focus mode), and b) being physically away from a smartphone while still reachable by phone call/message. A proper 4G feature phone without a garbage implementation of facebook and whatsapp is very promising in my eyes, albeit the premium pricetag. There exist also the "grand gesture" aspect that might justify the expense for such radical changes in lifestyle.
The Nintendo 2DS's audio stack probably isn't supported by PulseAudio, but I wish you good luck!
I've long wanted a "dumbphone", having previously looked at Nokia's options, but the lack of modern communication apps have been a huge turn off. I don't want to go back to SMS! You're right though, just uninstall the social media apps.
Best lifehack content so far. Chapeau.
Mum: "Pick up u ugly sket"
done me 🤣
I was thinking about the same thing, do i really need to buy a dumb phone for digital detox, but your points, actually helped me clear my mind, now i have set a limited time of 1 hr use for all the addictive apps and, deleted the others which were not needed, turned on the bedtime mode, after which my mobile turns into grey scale, and goes into dnd mode! Thank you for sharing your thoughts!!✨
It’s ironic that the artisanal dumbphone recommends to read “Society of the Spectacle” by Guy Debord because it is itself part of it.
This is on the banal level of "you are against capitalism but you use money". Cringe comment of the day.
@Kongen Gorm Not really. It's more of a "Capitalist Realism", where anti-capitalism itself (or in this case, anti-smartphone hype) becomes a marketable commodity in the capitalist system.
Very good video and I totally agree with the video. Dumping smartphone and going for a dumbphone is not the answer for phone addiction.
The other day I got an ad for an app that transforms your smartphone into a "minimal phone" at the price of *just* 22usd a month lol
I wouldn't be able to Skype in this video is it weren't for social media...
I guess the addiction thing failed hard with me. The only reason why I have a smartphone is to have GPS (I used a dedicated GPS for a while but it's more expensive to update it), to be able to check if there's a problem with the internet connection and take pictures once in a while. Other than that, 99% of the time it just sits there waiting for regular calls or SMS not even connected to WiFi. A lot of the time if I was in another room when an SMS came and I didn't hear it, I'll only discover I got an SMS 4 or 5 days later when another one comes in which I did hear lol I often don't take it with me or forget to take it with me when I go out. But if I'm not going to be at home for more than 24h I'm definitely not forgetting to take a laptop with me. For one thing, I just hate having to type anything on any phone. I hate the shitty UIs and missing features of smartphone programs. And don't get me started on the big elephant brother in the room... Another thing that helps is that I have only ever had an account on one for profit so-called "social" media platform. I'm only logged into it on one computer which is not the one I use 80% of the time. I had to open a new tab and fight through multi-account containers to log into youtube to type this message.
The Orchid phone from sunbeam has GPS but no touch screen ;(
Very good point you make my smartphone addiction is worst than anyone. And I still haven't figured it out. However I have found a small thing that helps. I use a 4G Nokia phone, that can hotspot my same is in this and my phone is more of a tablet. If I'm doing anything serious I can swap my sin back into the smartphone. I wouldn't say this is made a huge difference but, When I feel I'm really out of control I can hit the power button on my smart phone and turn it off, while having my dumb phone left on, so I can be contacted in case of an emergency. The problem is the dumb phone is quite smart and has UA-cam on the tiny screen and that is quite addictive in its own way but not as addictive as the smart phone because harder to use. This approach might not be very effective but it is a long-term solution. I can start thinking of my smart phone more as being a treat. Sometimes there's nothing wrong with bingeing on social media if you're feeling good in your heads in the right place. I think the way forward is to have your fill at the right time and then put it away. Pure dumb phone is unsustainable in my opinion. All the very best
Thank you very much
'location sharing' FUCK YEAH!!!!
You can check out the Xiaomi QIN F21 Pro and F22 Pro. It's an Android-based dunbphones that has a quite small screen that makes it less addicting, it's like carrying a dumbphone but without sacrificing the useful smartphone features.
Use secondary profile on android and use your second profile *only when needed*. You need privacy use grapheneOS on pixel and pat your back that you care about environment
I mean I could easily go with a feature phone because I stopped using social media for the most some time ago, but I know Whatsapp, email and Spotify are the apps that I use the most on my smartphone and getting something like a Nokia 6300 is something I would need because I need those communication apps, and even though can use T9 text inputs and have a large collection of music on my old iPod just because I am that "vintage" I value the convenience of the smartphone also I would still need to pay a data plan for a feture phone and I also realize, I quit social media out of my own volition and not because I took a life changing extreme measure, but ngl I would still like to have a feture phone at least for how cool they are and the nostalgia from simpler times
Are you sure you can password lock a timer on android? I dont see any options for that on my digital well being. It just tells me when the timer is up and let's me add as many more minutes I want
The Poettering whatsapp joke was very well executed. Kudos!
we need a desk set up update!
Less phone more life in your life. Remember that.
I think for some people using a dumb phone really does help because some people need that drastic change, even if it's just temporary. I've done the 'turn your iPhone into a dumb phone' thing and that's worked well enough for me but I still have a $40 dumb phone that I use temporarily. Just using a dumb phone is a totally different feeling and they are many accounts of people feeling more happy, free and present while using them. Altering your smartphone absolutely does help but it's not quite the same thing.
As for the expensive dumb phones like the light phone and punkt I disagree a bit too. There's nothing wrong with liking something because of its aesthetic/tactile value or clean interface, and I think it's worth supporting a brand like light phone for example when they're a super small team and they run their own network for their product and are also very engaged with the community of people who have bought the phone (updates, support etc). The phone is expensive but I think it accurately reflects the cost of production, as well as the cost of wages and upkeep for the small company/network. The light phone to me seems like a worthy investment to people who are really committed to the dumb/feature phone philosophy. Also the I wouldn't describe the UA-camrs you showed on screen as influencers, they have 9K and 1K suscribers on UA-cam respectively. I think they're just people sharing their experiences
With all this being said I agree that it's a good idea to try to alter your smartphone **before** thinking about buying a dumbphone, but for some people I think the dumb phone is a better solution
Very good tips!!!