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'Doomscrolling' breeds anxiety – how to stop the cycle

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Re: 'Doomscrolling' breeds anxiety – how to stop the cycle

#71

Post by Minor49er »

zozin wrote: post #59

I deleted my Twitter a few months ago and my life is better for it. The need to be “in the know” was powerful, but I realized that I was consuming vast amounts of shallow information that resulted in shallow, uninformed opinions. I’ve been reading a lot more long-form articles and books; I’ve finished reading three books in the last month or so. When my Twitter habit was strong I would often start a book and give up…

This is basically why I deleted my Facebook account, which was the one social network that I was really ever on. I was checking it non stop, but there wad never anything good. It was a huge time suck.

I'd read news of how Facebook keeps people addicted or how they try out psychological experiments on its users which left me uneasy. Finally, when the Cambridge Analytica scandal broke and revealed that Facebook sells access to your personal messages, thst was the final straw. The biggest problem with deleting your account is that your contacts assume that you just deleted them and think that you're mad at them or something. It can have a real world impact. But I've been way happier texting friends and family and talking with them directly. It's been so much healthier than leaving "likes" on wall posts. I'm never returning to social media.

Re: 'Doomscrolling' breeds anxiety – how to stop the cycle

#72

Post by centv »

While I wish I have more will power to actually stay away from my phone, especially at bedtime, the second best solution I found useful is to set timers for addictive apps. If I use up the allotted time for an app, it will be disabled for the rest of the day. Also there is Focus mode on Android that disables distracting apps while working.

Re: 'Doomscrolling' breeds anxiety – how to stop the cycle

#73

Post by NateThePirate »

hoorayimhelping wrote: post #15
countername wrote: post #4

Yeah reading hacker news since 4 hours and didn't even planned to open it. Now the world is more dangerous and don't know if people are commenting or GPT-3 bots. Any solutions to find sleep?

Put down your phone - stop staring at it at the gym, in line, on the toilet, at any time there's a lull in the activity - try just observing things around you. Read novels, especially before bed. Stop feeling like you have to be an informed and empowered member of society at all times on all issues. Develop hobbies that aren't related to tech - especially ones that force you to get outside and don't require high tech…

> Stop feeling like you have to be an informed and empowered member of society at all times on all issues.

This probably isn’t entirely the point you were trying to make with that sentence, but I feel like reading a book about an issue instead of trying to inform yourself through doomscrolling social media will actually do more to being an informed and empowered person.

Re: 'Doomscrolling' breeds anxiety – how to stop the cycle

#74

Post by whatshisface »

notriddle wrote: post #65
ctdonath wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No. They think they're voting for the good policies and actions. We can legitimately disagree over the good/bad of policies and actions. Is instituting/increasing minimum wage: providing a livable income for those at the bottom? or denying jobs to those at the bottom (being unable to produce >= $MINWAGE)? Good/bad of the topic seems obvious, yet differing views are widely held.

You're talking about subtle economic issues, when the original point was about people dismissing the pandemic as a hoax. One can be understood through the lense of conflict and mistake theory. The other requires a conspiracy.

I think that's a bad example, has anyone gotten elected over the corona hoax thing?

Besides, "I would rather accept the risk of virus X than the inconvenience of wearing a mask," is a perfectly legitimate position for many viruses, and deciding which ones it applies to is the exact same kind of utility balance and value debate as any other policy choice.

Re: 'Doomscrolling' breeds anxiety – how to stop the cycle

#75

Post by xvector »

zozin wrote: post #59

I deleted my Twitter a few months ago and my life is better for it. The need to be “in the know” was powerful, but I realized that I was consuming vast amounts of shallow information that resulted in shallow, uninformed opinions. I’ve been reading a lot more long-form articles and books; I’ve finished reading three books in the last month or so. When my Twitter habit was strong I would often start a book and give up…

The feeling of reading through well-written long-form articles is very satisfying. Do any HN’ers have recommendations for websites with well-written long-form articles?

Re: 'Doomscrolling' breeds anxiety – how to stop the cycle

#76

Post by loughnane »

xvector wrote: post #75
zozin wrote: post #59

I deleted my Twitter a few months ago and my life is better for it. The need to be “in the know” was powerful, but I realized that I was consuming vast amounts of shallow information that resulted in shallow, uninformed opinions. I’ve been reading a lot more long-form articles and books; I’ve finished reading three books in the last month or so. When my Twitter habit was strong I would often start a book and give up…

The feeling of reading through well-written long-form articles is very satisfying. Do any HN’ers have recommendations for websites with well-written long-form articles?

The Atlantic, American affairs journal, longreads are some.

Re: 'Doomscrolling' breeds anxiety – how to stop the cycle

#78

Post by [deleted] »

xvector wrote: post #75
zozin wrote: post #59

I deleted my Twitter a few months ago and my life is better for it. The need to be “in the know” was powerful, but I realized that I was consuming vast amounts of shallow information that resulted in shallow, uninformed opinions. I’ve been reading a lot more long-form articles and books; I’ve finished reading three books in the last month or so. When my Twitter habit was strong I would often start a book and give up…

The feeling of reading through well-written long-form articles is very satisfying. Do any HN’ers have recommendations for websites with well-written long-form articles?

[deleted]

Re: 'Doomscrolling' breeds anxiety – how to stop the cycle

#79

Post by marnett »

xvector wrote: post #75
zozin wrote: post #59

I deleted my Twitter a few months ago and my life is better for it. The need to be “in the know” was powerful, but I realized that I was consuming vast amounts of shallow information that resulted in shallow, uninformed opinions. I’ve been reading a lot more long-form articles and books; I’ve finished reading three books in the last month or so. When my Twitter habit was strong I would often start a book and give up…

The feeling of reading through well-written long-form articles is very satisfying. Do any HN’ers have recommendations for websites with well-written long-form articles?

Harpers magazine and the New York review of Books are my go to publications.

Re: 'Doomscrolling' breeds anxiety – how to stop the cycle

#80

Post by lotsofpulp »

ctdonath wrote: post #47
evan_ wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

many people are explicitly and intentionally voting for the bad policies and actions though, can I blame them for that?

No. They think they're voting for the good policies and actions. We can legitimately disagree over the good/bad of policies and actions. Is instituting/increasing minimum wage: providing a livable income for those at the bottom? or denying jobs to those at the bottom (being unable to produce >= $MINWAGE)? Good/bad of the topic seems obvious, yet differing views are widely held.

I have spoken to people who have admitted their racist ideologies and motivations for voting. And I’ve interacted with people who knowingly vote for their own economic interests at the expense of society’s interests because they fundamentally believe they should take whatever they can get.

The latter example especially takes place in local elections regarding things like zoning and local ordinances and work contracts.

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