This is an amazing idea. I found that most productivity apps are overkill. Anyway to test?
Sure!, you can download the app here: https://scrollguard.app/
Show HN: I built an app to block Shorts and Reels
261–270 of 322 posts
Re: Show HN: I built an app to block Shorts and Reels
#262Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sincere question: What is the reason for the popular appeal of using Instagram for messaging?
Because it is what your friends and potential friends are using. It isn't really a noteworthy messaging app other than bring attached to a popular app.
> potential friends
Hmm. So it's the perceived "best place" as a default. Is there some "discoverability" feature as well?
Re: Show HN: I built an app to block Shorts and Reels
#263As others have said, the permissions required to make this work are scary and require a lot of trust. The fact YouTube and Instagram don't allow you to disable endless algorithmic short form content is straight up evil.
I understand the privacy concerns. I did my best to address it here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44943215. I completely agree with your second point.
Re: Show HN: I built an app to block Shorts and Reels
#264Earlier quoted context omitted.
Because it is what your friends and potential friends are using. It isn't really a noteworthy messaging app other than bring attached to a popular app.
> potential friends Hmm. So it's the perceived "best place" as a default. Is there some "discoverability" feature as well?
He means in real life.
You’re at a bar. You meet someone. They ask for your insta username to follow/message you.
Making friends and meeting people is hard enough for most people. The added friction of not being reachable on the platforms people use every day for messaging isn’t ideal. It’s not ideal to say “Sorry, I’m philosophically against social media so I can’t give you a username, you’ll have to text me” - and then you risk alienating them.
(You’d be surprised the percentage of people who rarely if ever use SMS these days, all the young people I know use Snap or Insta to talk to each other)
Re: Show HN: I built an app to block Shorts and Reels
#265Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why is it more surprising that scrolling is addictive versus, say, putting a stick of combusting plant matter in your mouth and inhaling the smoke?
Probably because scrolling feels harmless, while smoking never really did. The surprise is in the mismatch.
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Re: Show HN: I built an app to block Shorts and Reels
#266Earlier quoted context omitted.
Probably because scrolling feels harmless, while smoking never really did. The surprise is in the mismatch.
On the contrary, smoking was not only seen as harmless but actually good for you and encouraged!
Re: Show HN: I built an app to block Shorts and Reels
#267Earlier quoted context omitted.
Dude if you only want to use insta for dms, try bleeper. I swear, most of my school friends only use / are active on insta and I never used insta because I Hated reels / insta in general (my personal opinion, never found it appealing) So my friend suggested me to use bleeper, I had heard of it ofc but I mean I always thought eh it would be too much of an hassle, then when my friend did it and said its easy so I actua…
Sincere question: What is the reason for the popular appeal of using Instagram for messaging?
> What is the reason for the popular appeal of using Instagram for messaging?
Same reason people use any social network: because your friends, family and/or people you otherwise/somehow care about are there.
Re: Show HN: I built an app to block Shorts and Reels
#268Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sincere question: What is the reason for the popular appeal of using Instagram for messaging?
> What is the reason for the popular appeal of using Instagram for messaging? Same reason people use any social network: because your friends, family and/or people you otherwise/somehow care about are there.
Same reason people use any social network: because your friends, family and/or people you otherwise/somehow care about are there.
If they're on Instagram, aren't they necessarily also on SMS, plus a billion other people? All ad-free?
Re: Show HN: I built an app to block Shorts and Reels
#269Earlier quoted context omitted.
I had an epiphany that faulting myself, and my self-control, is exactly what these sites want you to do. "Oh, it's just your bad self-discipline" No, this is full-on war for control of your mind. And the adversary spends millions to hire teams of the world's best psychologists and engineers to deploy technology that never sleeps with the sole purpose of grabbing and keeping your attention. Once I realized this, I sta…
> I had an epiphany that faulting myself, and my self-control, is exactly what these sites want you to do. Yeah, this kind of realization can be surprisingly empowering, because it takes something that seemed like unavoidable natural law and reveals it as an adversarial relationship. To offer a boring but lower-tech version: Shopping centers which are deliberately designed to make people enter/exit through stores, an…
Yes, exactly! We generally treat spaces with the benefit of the doubt, which I think is smart for mental health. A conference center which doesn't have the bathrooms close to where you'd expect probably is just badly designed rather than actively trying to mess with you. But this breaks down for certain spaces: shopping malls, airports, etc.
Re: Show HN: I built an app to block Shorts and Reels
#270So I only use Instagram for the DMs with friends. I don’t follow anyone at all, so my feed should be empty. For years it was. Then at some point Instagram decided I must not know what I want, they should show me recommended posts from random accounts. There’s a setting to turn this off … but instead of being a normal toggle I can only “snooze” the posts for 30 days. 30 days of peace and then the spam comes back. No m…
Dude if you only want to use insta for dms, try bleeper. I swear, most of my school friends only use / are active on insta and I never used insta because I Hated reels / insta in general (my personal opinion, never found it appealing) So my friend suggested me to use bleeper, I had heard of it ofc but I mean I always thought eh it would be too much of an hassle, then when my friend did it and said its easy so I actua…
Bleeper or Beeper (https://www.beeper.com)? Beeper is an app like you describe, can't find Bleeper. And it's by Automattic which I think have an OK reputation for not destroying their products.