Hi guys!
Recently I’ve been trying out Internet-free afternoons. At first, I felt incredibly bored! At some point I realized it wasn’t enough to remove a bad habit, I have to actively add a good one.
I decided to focus on reading, and after an hour of reading instead of Redditing, I felt amazing. I realized that just making an intentional choice instead of going along with the status quo, just for one hour, had already improved my wellbeing. Small steps make a big difference!
Warm Regards,
Madi
ADVICE AND INSPIRATION
Can Tech Make Us Mindful?
TL;DR: Has mindfulness entered mainstream tech? The inclusion of a breathing app on the Apple Watch points to the answer being yes. According to experts, apps are a good place for beginners to learn how to be mindful, but in an increasingly fast-paced world, things will need to change before mindfulness is truly ubiquitous.
You’re not imagining it: always checking dating apps makes you feel worse
Can social apps give us social anxiety? Excessive use of swipe-based dating apps might. Not being ‘liked’ hurts, and that rejection can foster social anxiety. Ouch.
TECH ISSUES
We Need a PBS for Social Media
TL;DR: Let’s face it—surveillance capitalism, the business model of choice for social media, is not good for users. But what about a public, government-funded social media platform with no incentive to gamify outrage? Sounds great right? At least for everyone except The Zuck.
The biggest lie tech people tell themselves — and the rest of us
TL;DR: Out of all scientific theories, the one that is erroneously applied to the most irrelevant situations is Darwinism. No, tech products are not the result of a natural evolution, they’re the result of people, companies and their choices. It’s true, we can’t put the genie back in the bottle in (creepy af) tech like facial recognition, but we can still choose to regulate it. There’s no reason for the tech industry to behave so irresponsibly simply in the name of innovation!
APPS AND TOOLS
switching.software
If you're looking for ethical alternatives for popular applications, software, and websites, check out switching.software. Thankfully, even in the monopolistic age of big tech, we do have options.
Has Digitally Well helped you in some way?
If so, please consider supporting this newsletter. Become a patron today!
Your feedback would also be highly appreciated.