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Comment by chris_mc | Hacker News Reader

> “It was just a pattern for me — to open my phone and I would have nowhere to go,” she said. “I was just looking at a screen. It was kind of weird, so I’m trying not to do that.”

I found out I did the exact same thing when I deleted my Reddit account and set limits here on HN. I used to find myself unlocking my phone, looking at it, opening Google News to the same old articles, then locking it and doing something else. I have gotten much more stuff done now that I don't stare at Reddit/HN/other all day.

I feel like society should try to back away from being slaves to our technology, and maybe the popping of the social media bubble, via people realizing how much data they collect, may be the trick to do this.

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Have you ever tried reading e-books? I've replaced most of my "on break" or "during commute" social-media time with plain reading of long-form content.

I wouldn't describe myself as "being a slave to technology"—I just wanted something to entertain me when I had nothing to do. Social media was a bad way to fill that hole, in terms of the emotional costs. Books are a better way to fill that hole. Even if both just look like "staring at your phone screen" from the outside.

Have you ever tried reading e-books? I've replaced most of my "on break" or "during commute" social-media time with plain reading of long-form content.

I tried that, and it didn't work for me because it's just too easy to switch to another time-absorbing app if the phone is already in my hand.

But I did something similar: I started reading actual books.

The key was to buy used paperbacks for $1 from low-end bookstores. That way I can carry it around and not worry about it, and if it gets lost or damaged, no big deal.

When I'm done with it, I leave it on the bus or train for someone else to find.

I carry a Kindle around with me for reading for two reasons: First, cause you can’t just switch to something else stupid. And second, cause you look like you’re reading a book to the people around you.

Have you tried Audible? Works great for me for the doing laundry, washing dishes, commuting, etc., modes.

I do read e-books, because I just consider them books. I have a tablet with only WiFi so I don't screw around. It's pretty great to learn stuff that has been well-researched and well-written and without insults about my mother or minorities.

A huge part of the problem is that social media is built of bite size chunks that fit into small amounts of time much better than long form pieces.

I can’t wait to set limit for Reddit. I got rid of Facebook and Twitter last year and it’s so much better.

Heck, why don’t I just delete it right now…

Then there's HN...

HN has decent articles, and not many of them, so going down the HN rabbit hole is more positive experience for most people as compared to Reddit and you don't have the massive size of Reddit that can keep you scrolling for hours.

I traveled around Europe for a month recently with my phone in airplane mode the whole time (except when needing to call a taxi at 3:30am in Venice, Italy). In the first week I also found myself doing this.

As long as technological progress continues improving, we will unintentionally (and intentionally) make things more addictive than before. The same process that drives good technological progress also drives bad technological progress.

Paul Graham's essay on this (http://www.paulgraham.com/addiction.html).

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