I host weekly friend-of-friend open events where some people show up most weeks, find a nice comfortable spot to doom scroll in for a couple hours, maybe take a nap, leave, sit in their car for a bit, scroll some more, then go home.

I am just hoping they actually took a break from doom scrolling while driving as then at least I can say I had some non zero positive impact on their lives.

5 years phone-free and I do not miss it. People use them as security blankets to avoid having to be present for more than 5 minutes at a time with other people or even just exist in their own heads. I now find this behavior immature and gross but avoiding it would mean not having friends.

A smartphone is like toilet paper. No one wants to watch you use it.

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GuB-42 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

Maybe host your event in a cave if you can, no cell coverage, no Wi-Fi.

There is a bar like that where I go sometimes, it is in a cave, some people got Wi-Fi from the staff, and you have some reception if you stand near the front door, but it is mostly a network-free zone and it is great.

Another thing we did from time to time at the restaurant is to put all our phones stacked in the middle of the table, anyone who picks up his phone before the end of the meal for any reason pays the bill for everyone. So far, no one did.

	▲	lrvick 2 days ago \| parent [-]
		Suddenly the one good use case for lead paint becomes clear.

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rjh29 2 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Get better friends! Not everybody does this.

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carlgreene 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

Very curious to hear how you went phone-free and what your setup looks like

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lrvick 2 days ago | parent [-]

I have a mini PC hooked to screens in every room other than the bedroom and bathroom, and remote controls with built in air-mouse and keyboard (pepper jobs remotes). This way anyone can pick up a controller in any room and look something up on a shared communal screen as needed, which discourages use of private screens.

When I leave home for less than a day I pack no electronics of any kind and enjoy the peace in my own head to think about the next problems I want to solve in my universe.

I pay with cash exclusively in public so tap and pay is not an issue. If I ever need to be reachable for emergencies I can carry a pager but so far this has not been worth it.

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shreddit 2 days ago | parent [-]

Did not expect that: I got rid of a small screen i can carry around by putting a lot of small screen all over my house.

I put that in the same bin as all the “Stop doomscrolling” apps. You can’t prevent doomscrolling by adding another app on your phone. Get rid of the phone (and all other screens), one does not need to be able to look up everything in a moments notice. Write it down on a paper and do it later.

	▲	lrvick 16 hours ago \| parent [-]
		It causes a major difference. It forces all uses of screens in common spaces with others present, to be inclusive to said others. You do not open anything on shared screens you do not mean for others to participate in, so they function more as collaborative tools instead of private escapes. Anyone can grab a remote and access to summon shared entertainment, order food, do shared research, fact check something, etc... but said screens are just linux machines with no proprietary software or magic addictive algorithms. Just tools. Also when we walk away from them they do not follow us, and they cannot notify us. It has completely changed the way my family and I interact with, and separate ourselves from, the internet. If my phone battery died, I used to panic. Now with no phone, when I leave home, I am just... present, and can get lost in my own thoughts again. A skill I lost for decades with distractions always in my pocket. Really just moving the screens further away, tethering them to walls, and ditching all proprietary addictive software is easier. Also a couple TVs and mini pcs cost less than one modern smartphone and covers the whole family.