Ask HN: How do you deal with information and internet addiction?

#1

Post by rqtwteye » Wed, Feb 08, 2023, 4:52 PM UTC

I have noticed that I am getting more and more addicted to consuming information so I am listening to podcasts while working and I watch Youtube videos in my free time. This is all fun and interesting but I feel this makes me want to do things less and less. Instead of working on my own problems I distract myself by listening to ever more information. I get a lot of benefit from this information but somehow it feels shallow.

I think part of it is that my work is quite uninteresting and doesn't really keep my mind engaged. But the work is tedious enough that I am too tried in the evening to do something interesting. After a few years everything feels like it's a repeat.

Does anybody else feel that way? Have you been able to detach yourself from the constant flow of information and focus on your own stuff?

Re: Ask HN: How do you deal with information and internet addiction?

#2

Post by PM_me_your_math » Wed, Feb 08, 2023, 4:59 PM UTC

Books. Lots of books. Whether in my area of focus or in history, art, and fiction; just feeding the thirst in other ways helps tremendously. Also, hobbies that give you a chance to practically apply things that you learn. I believe the addiction comes from the absence of healthy habits.

Re: Ask HN: How do you deal with information and internet addiction?

#3

Post by maerF0x0 » Wed, Feb 08, 2023, 5:14 PM UTC

Feels funny to offer a YT video in response, but I just saw this and it spoke to the topic. [1]

It's a search for stimulation, and underdeveloped skill of dealing with a lack of stimulation.

For me I've started to focus on just acting. Got the idea to do something? Try your best to do it without googling, youtubing, listening to pod casts. Just take the next action that seems like it might work, and pivot if it doesn't. It adds some adventure back into life too.

[1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuHEY7CjjTI

Re: Ask HN: How do you deal with information and internet addiction?

#4

Post by azmodeus » Wed, Feb 08, 2023, 5:25 PM UTC

PM_me_your_math wrote: post #2

Books. Lots of books. Whether in my area of focus or in history, art, and fiction; just feeding the thirst in other ways helps tremendously. Also, hobbies that give you a chance to practically apply things that you learn. I believe the addiction comes from the absence of healthy habits.

Completely agree books keep me sane from digital overload.

Re: Ask HN: How do you deal with information and internet addiction?

#5

Post by Hayarotle » Wed, Feb 08, 2023, 5:27 PM UTC

Find out if your addiction is because you find the world boring, or if you're trying to escape from something you fear.

If it's the former, block the addictive content and replace it with other things you find fun (hobbies, books, movies, etc), paying attention to how it's more worthwhile to do so.

If it's the latter, find out how to overcome such fear / anxiety and to stop using addictive content as a crutch.

Re: Ask HN: How do you deal with information and internet addiction?

#6

Post by gabythenerd » Wed, Feb 08, 2023, 5:31 PM UTC

Putting aside some time to do non-tech stuff is a good idea, things like going to the gym, reading books, going out and walking around, etc.

Also as an experiment I deleted Twitter which I used to mindlessly scroll, put HN on no procrastination mode and stopped reading digital news except for two sites that I trust and read sporadically about two years ago. It might sound strange but I ended up feeling a lot happier on the regular as a result.

Spending some time curating what you consume or limiting the amount of time a day could also be a good idea.

Re: Ask HN: How do you deal with information and internet addiction?

#7

Post by cwoolfe » Wed, Feb 08, 2023, 5:35 PM UTC

I can relate. I deleted YouTube off my phone. When I'm at my best, I plan out my ideal week in 1 hour blocks. Then I try and stick to it--staying busy with things my best-self already decided would be worthwhile endeavors.

Re: Ask HN: How do you deal with information and internet addiction?

#8

Post by orwin » Wed, Feb 08, 2023, 5:37 PM UTC

To me, it was a protective mechanism to avoid burnout (then bore-out at the next company).

Think of this addiction as a mood regulator. You can replace it by other type of mood regulation (sport, games, family or friends...).

Re: Ask HN: How do you deal with information and internet addiction?

#9

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Feb 08, 2023, 5:40 PM UTC

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: How do you deal with information and internet addiction?

#10

Post by openquery » Wed, Feb 08, 2023, 5:45 PM UTC

It's definitely a problem. I'm not sure how to fix it.

The crux of the addiction is that doing is hard and consuming is easy. I can watch a YT video on homotopy type theory (I'm not a mathematician) and feel good about myself and how much I'm learning and how I'm going to use this newly found knowledge. The reality of the situation is I'm probably not learning very much and just procrastinating.

The moment you sit down and try to create, you are almost immediately slapped in the face by your own limitations and this is an unsettling feeling. You then have a reflex to escape this discomfort by opening a new tab and navigating to YouTube and sedate yourself with that sweet, sweet content - where anything is possible.

If you're an engineer or product person, I would recommend perhaps turning this problem into an opportunity. Can you solve this problem for yourself as a product or service? If you do I'd love to buy it.