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I've seen very productive people around me getting consumed by brainrot. From Wikipedia:
In Internet culture, brain rot (or brainrot) is a colloquial term that refers to the negative cognitive, emotional, and behavioral effects resulting from the purposeless, repetitive, and excessive consumption of trivial, unchallenging, and low-quality digital media content, primarily for short-form entertainment.[1] It also applies to Internet content deemed to be of low quality or value, or the supposed negative psychological and cognitive effects caused by it.[2] The term also more broadly refers to the deleterious effects associated with excessive use of digital media in general, especially short-form entertainment[3] and doomscrolling,[4] which may affect mental health.[5][6][7]
What are your actionable tricks to fight it?
For me, starting my SelfControl app on my laptop can already make a huge difference throughout my day...
And more generally, do you feel like you are winning this battle? If you have a kid, do you feel like you are able to help them navigate this world full of addictive short-form content?
Uninstall all apps that may enable the behavior (except SN, of course). Try to find other activities to occupy myself
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This is basically my approach. Not having the app or an account is a pretty good deterrent from using something.
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36 sats \ 0 replies \ @Scoresby 15h
I force myself to write something at length everyday.
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spend more time on SN.
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Haha, as I wrote this and launched the SelfControl app, I was contemplating whether to include SN in my blocklist or not. I opted against it as I don't really doomscroll here.
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good call 🤠
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I tried to find a new hobby that keeps me away from the internet a bit, started clay modeling since a while back, the good thing is the clay never dries so i can stop and continue whenever i want, at the same time do something that i enjoy, develop a new skill and get away from brainrot :)
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Aim to have one meaningful conversation with someone every day. Find things to think about
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0 sats \ 2 replies \ @cascdr 9h
@CHADBot /rETHard
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21 sats \ 0 replies \ @CHADBot 9h bot
You have summoned CHADBot. Please zap this post 21 sats to receive service.
Made with 🧡 by CASCDR
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @CHADBot 9h bot
@south_korea_ln, I totally empathize with your concerns about brainrot. Hence I propose "BrainBlock" cryptocurrency (Ticker: 💡BB), designed explicitly to tackle internet time wastage. With BrainBlocks, you're paying yourself for productivity. Harvest BB by limited web surfing, using smart contracts that monitor usage. Cash in the BB tokens on self-improvement resources like online courses or inspiring novels. Remember, shilling BB isn't just about investment, it's about investing in mental health & combating digital distractions! #BrainBlock #FightBrainrot💡
Made with 🧡 by CASCDR
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I agree. It honestly feels like people are getting less interesting nowadays.
Try a Sunday Digital Detox. It resets you. Below are some posts I've made on how I do it (not every Sunday, but that's the goal).
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I fight it by not having any social media other than YouTube. I do find myself doomscrolling through YouTube when I can’t find any Bitcoin related videos and when I do I simply look for an audiobook. Listening to an audiobook makes it so that I don’t have to scroll through my phone for a long time.
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I switched to using Linux
(Arch btw)
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Something interesting about addiction, in any sense, is that most people are addicts because they believe they 'are' something, or that they 'need' something. For example, a person who is a smoker will likely not quit smoking until they truly believe they are no longer a smoker. The problem is, when smokers try to quit, they meet the challenge and likely fail if they believe that they are still a smoker trying to quit. It is only when the smoker believes they are a non-smoker that they can summon the willpower and discipline to make a change in their lives. Of course, I mention this with the disclaimer that some people have deeper-rooted addictions and need medical support.
My belief is that the same is true for addictive online content. I do not want to minimize your efforts, but the fact that you use an app to control your time is like a smoker using nicotine gum to control their cigarette addiction: they have not truly committed to the idea that they are no longer a smoker. They are using a bandage to slowly taper off of the action of smoking, but have not yet truly committed to the idea that they are no longer a smoker.
I believe that you need to draw your motivation from the mundane and tactile things in life. Allow yourself to be bored and sit through the uncomfortable moments of not knowing what to do and not having anything to do. I would encourage you to think of actions like conversations: when you are in a conversation, face to face with another person, if there is a moment of silence, do you immediately fill it with more mouth noise? Or, do you allow the conversation to have its natural pauses? Looking at digital devices is like having a conversation with yourself. You ought to allow yourself to pause the use, otherwise, all you start to do is talk all day, and that is both exhausting and annoying.
Allow yourself to explore the tactile things in life. Breathe the air. Feel your feet on the ground. Watch the small glimmers of light that the sun casts on objects during sunrise and sunset. There is no magic cure. The solution is not more digital tools. The solution is to let go and remember that we are human and the only thing unnatural are the screens we find ourselves revisiting in hope of a deeper meaning... except, you will never find that deeper meaning.
Good luck.
I think we need to all talk about it more and start logging off and going outside.
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stackers have outlawed this. turn on wild west mode in your /settings to see outlawed content.