jb1991 5 hours ago

I would love to get rid of my smartphone altogether, actually. I’m just not quite sure how to do it. I need to use a map app often. And most of the announcements and services in my country from companies and schools are all handled through WhatsApp. So it makes it a bit difficult to cut that tether.

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seereadhack 25 minutes ago | parent | next [-]

Just track your unlocks and try to keep it under let's say 40 in a day. Batching.

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KeplerBoy 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Getting a tiny phone not meant for media consumption is probably the closest you can achieve. You are not going to waste a lot of time watching youtube on a 3" screen, because that's just no fun.

The "jelly star" phone looks kind of fun. I just sat in a busy tram and wondered what the scene would look like if we all had phones like that. It's an innteresting thought experiment.

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modo_mario 8 minutes ago | parent | next [-]

The thing is I'd still need my regular phone for various things and i can't cut the sim in half.

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Ectiseethe 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

> wondered what the scene would look like if we all had phones like that.

People with headphones looking absentmindedly straight ahead doing their best not to focus on anything, isolating themselves as much as possible to make the complete lack of personal space more bearable.

This is already what crowded subways in my city look like when you pass the threshold where people are too cramped to browse their phones. This is not a bad thing, just a coping mechanism.

I think there is much more room for behavior change if you consider people at a table (coffee or restaurant) with and without phones suitable for continuous media consumption or social network interactions.

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KeplerBoy 3 hours ago | parent [-]

Sure, I didn't imagine a utopia of joyful people talking to strangers. That's not what public transport ever looked like, but I do miss the times of a bit more diversity in how people spend their during the commute. Newspapers, books, handheld game consoles (which don't constantly shove ads in front of their users).

	▲	skinfaxi an hour ago \| parent [-]
		Now those books, newspapers and games are available on one device (and without constantly shoving ads down your throat, well except for the news).

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jb1991 4 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Well I remember the days before the first smart phone and taking subways in New York City, so it’s not too hard for me to imagine. People reading books, talking to each other, very different.

	▲	tomatocracy 3 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Maybe it's a cultural difference but I remember before smartphones on the tube in London as well and noone talked to each other during the morning/evening commute. I think the biggest difference is actually the lack of newspapers now. Plenty of people were plugged into headphones via iPod/Walkman/whatever was era appropriate. The people who stare at their phones today were staring at newspapers in the pre smartphone era.

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dybber 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Maybe the new Commodore flip phone? https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48552614

	▲	jb1991 4 hours ago \| parent [-]
		That would be promising if it wasn’t for a ridiculous price tag. You shouldn’t have to pay a premium just to have features removed. The margin on that phone must be incredibly high.

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GeoAtreides 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

not sure where the problem is?

look at maps only in the car, mute whatsapp and then check it from time to time.

seems pretty straightforward.

	▲	n4r9 an hour ago \| parent [-]
		Addictive behaviour is rarely cured by telling the addict to "just stop doing it".

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anal_reactor 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

1. When you're browsing your phone but you're not having fun, stop. Try to distinguish "I am genuinely interested in that thing on the screen" vs "I'm just doomscrollig".

2. Try to replace parts of your smartphone with other things. Buying a clock helped me fix the habit of "I just opened my eyes, time for phone". I found my old PSP and I'm planning to run some emulator on that instead of phone to play some minigames.

3. I have my phone always completely silent. There's literally no notification that cannot wait until I decide to check the phone.

4. I sometimes turn off the data transfer in my phone. First, I get less notifications. Second, it's yet another barrier and it gives me a second to ask myself "do I really want to play with my phone now".