So much of our life is now online. We can spend hours simply scrolling through several feeds, such as Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, etc. Of course, there are the excuses: “Oh, I was waiting for a message!” or “I was just checking my email,” or even “I just wanted to look for a second.” I am guilty of these too! But when does scrolling aimlessly on your phone as a form of entertainment become too much? When does the screen start to feel surgically attached and actively sap joy rather than provide it?
Oxford’s Word of the Year (2024) actually gives a name to this phenomenon. No, not doomscrolling: brain rot. Brain rot is described to be the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content). This falls in line with studies that state excessive screen usage is shortening our attention span and negatively affecting our executive function. So, what can we do about it?
With tech, everything is at our fingertips. Even yoga and meditation are an app away. We are reeled back into the source of fatigue we were trying to escape. It’s a slippery slope from opening a meditation app like HeadSpace to clicking on notifications and, before you know it, you’re trapped in the constant feed scrolling. So, the act of being physically present in these activities provides us with an innate sense of joy. Even if they are frustrating to take part in, we need to develop the skills for them. You get knocked down and then you get back up again, right?
If you feel like a few hours a week away from your phone is not enough or maybe not doable, try a digital detox. Do away with those toxic screens...For a few hours every day. You do not have to give up your phone for a digital detox, so technizens can rest easy. Your fingers will remain limber from all that scrolling you enjoy.
Instead, in a digital detox, you can dumb down your phone by deleting apps or using screen usage restricting apps like Opal, Freedom, minimalist phone, and StayFree. These applications let you set limits on the apps you use the most and even how often you use your phone. If none of these apps catch your interest, there’s always the Screen Time function on your phone.
Analogue technologies are on the comeback; retro items like digital cameras, vinyl records, and even cassette tapes are trendy again. Refurbished iPods of yore and CD players have been taken out of the storage closet. In-person clubs for activities, the rekindling of third spaces, are all on the rise.
Technological advancements have sped up the pace of life so much that we are lagging behind, trying to catch up. This explains the way people are seeking opportunities to slow down as a method of coping. This search for wellness away from our phones is sometimes known as “analogue wellness”, and sometimes as digital detox, which is a conscious attempt to cut screens out of our lives.
Some people, however, are taking the digital detox challenge to the next level by using “dumb phones.” Dumb phones, sometimes known as feature phones, are meant to dispel the enchantment of their smart counterparts. Remember the small Nokia phones and Motorola flip phones of the 90s and 2000s? Features on these phones are limited to basics like calling, texting, and (if you’re lucky) music.
Of course, it is foolish to expect people to completely throw their phones away. Technology is ingrained into the very fabric of our society, so throwing our smartphones away would cut us off, not just from basic connections but also our livelihoods!
So maybe we don’t need to go to extremes to reduce our screen usage, but the occasional walk or yoga class may help, and who knows? You might get a new hobby out of it.
For young folk, usually between the ages of 18–34 (and those who are young at heart), this is a demanding ask, especially since they have most likely grown up in a world with screens. Despite this, in-person clubs that focus on tech-free activities are rising in popularity: knitting classes, running clubs, rock climbing, and jewellery making. There is a niche for every kind of person.