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

    The purpose of knowledge is action, not knowledge.
    ― Aristotle
    
    Knowledge isn't free. You have to pay attention  
    ― Richard Feynman
    
    "Information is not truth"  
    ― Yuval Noah Harari  
    
    If I were the plaything of every thought, I would be a fool, not a wise man. 
    ― Rumi
    
    Dhamma is in your mind, not in the forest. You don't have to go and look anywhere else.
    ― Ajahn Chah
     
    Man has set for himself the goal of conquering the world, 
    but in the process he loses his soul.
    ― Alexander Solzhenitsyn
    
    The wise man knows the Self,  
    And he plays the game of life.  
    But the fool lives in the world  
    Like a beast of burden.  
    ― Ashtavakra Gita (4―1)

    We must be true inside, true to ourselves, 
    before we can know a truth that is outside us.   
    ― Thomas Merton

    Saying yes frequently is an additive strategy. Saying no is a subtractive strategy. Keep saying no to a lot of things - the negative and unimportant ones - and once in awhile, you will be left with an idea which is so compelling that it would be a screaming no-brainer 'yes'.
    - unknown

I've found that substantial efforts to get off of platforms that distract me can work, but it's very difficult and should very much be thought of as a hybrid problem of both your personal self, and your technological environment around you. If you're surrounded by distractions, you will find yourself distracted; however, if you simply crave distraction, blocking things will only lead to you getting distracted by the next best source of entertainment.

But long stretches of silence are the human norm. Even in social situations. I've found when I'm literally spending all day with someone, with no media to distract, that the conversation will have long lulls in it. I think I first noticed it when I went fishing with my boyfriend. Stretches of quiet that will go on for ten minutes until one of us thought of something worth saying, then some lively talk, then quiet again. And that was okay!

Does the thought of such stretches of emptiness fill you with dread? It usually does for me. I think that's where my own information addiction comes from. It relieves that discomforting sensation. But I have come to believe such experiences are essential to mental health, from time to time. I'm ill at ease with my own thoughts.

If this sounds familiar in some way, I suggest prayer and/or meditation. Though if you want a more practical prescription, take a long walk daily without your phone, in a quiet area.

  It's the fear of silence
  That gives us away.
  Cause when we're alone
  We have to hear
  What our aching hearts try to say.
  -- Randy Stonehill