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So, I'm thinking of making my phone into purely a pager. For things like emails, Apple Watch things, messages I'd have to check when I get home, school things, and anything important I would have to know relatively fast. just... like a pager.
However I'm not sure if this is even possible. I'll definitely do more research by myself but a lot of it is for medical practitioners and not for the every day use. I'm not willing to waste money on something I believe I can very much make myself.(possibly)
If any of you have any articles or tuts that they can spare or just tips from your own noggin, please drop it in the comments or instant messaging I would greatly appreciate it! xoxo
*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
I've been in this journey of slowly removing my phone in my life for about 4-5 months now. I haven't made much progress. However, I am looking into flip phones to fully disconnect myself. Just a cheap one I can use for calls and messages. things that a phone was supposes to be used for n the first place. it's a major step for me.
the nuance of having a super computer in our pockets at all times vs a family computer to use has definitely made us complacent and I don't believe humans were made for this kind of life. I remember this quote from somewhere that went something like
----"the internet was just an escape in the corner of the house, now it's everywhere"
It's definitely apparent now. like after looking around in school (phones are banned) watching as everyone, including myself, can't seem to stay off of their phone for more than a couple of hours. its like I can't stray far away from it. it has gotten to the point where I take it into the shower with me. it's so saddening that I allow myself to get that far and I needed to do something about it.
Especially with the rise of ai, which I will talk more in depth in another blog. It has crippled me severely mentally. Just today as I was doing an assignment for my psych class I was dreading writing a mere 300 words for my grade so I went and ALMOST opened gauth ai to do it for me ... I was immediately disgusted with myself and I had to put the phone down.
But now I feel like I'm finally grabbing a hold on my life. That I'm starting to prevent my prime years slipping away from me as my memories are filled with nothingness. I mean, what was the last video you watched on TikTok about? I definitely couldn't answer that before I deleted TikTok entirely. I used to be obsessed with those reddit videos with Minecraft parkour playing in the background. I mean, they were entertaining. But I could tell you now that I cannot recall a single story at this moment. I could listen to a story and recognize it but if you were to ask me what was a funny reddit story I remember out of the blue, I couldn't tell you.
and that goes to show how useless this all is. and I'm scared. I'm scared that when I die, I won't have any fond memories that flash before my eyes. that it will be just me looking at a screen, wishing I was home doing nothing instead of my hobbies, making friends, and actually experiencing life as a whole.
Edit; literally directly after this post i found a video that directly encapsulates the fear of my life having amounted to nothing. PLEASE WATCH IT. It genuinely made me sick in the stomach with how much it slaps me in the face with reality. And if you feel the same way I do, it will definitely wake you up
#pager;#dumbphone;#programming;#phoneprogramming;#digitaldetox;#ai;#disconnecting;#internet;#tiktok;#reddit;#redditstories;#2000's;#2000sliving:#y2k;#blog;
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Cyberstxr.exe<3
I have like this routine I do every month where I would digital “detox” myself by having my parents hide my phone. They would hide it somewhere (before I change my mind abt it) and give it back to me after a week. After I repeated this a couple of times I realized that I don’t need my phone most of the time. I’m just on it cause I’m simply bored. I was also thinking abt getting a flip phone or some sort. If only if they made a iPod that could receive notifications because that would be awesome. I want to listen to music ya know._(:3 」∠)_
Maybe you could use a music player with android, like the hyby's ones, but with another launcher like Before Launcher or something like that
by Alexandr08; ; Report
fischl/kellin
this is soso real. i am well aware im addicted to my phone but i only really understand how depressing and all-consuming it is when i'm with my friends who are even more addicted than me. it just baffles me. i love my friends so much and i love being able to sit with them and not have to talk, but its so sad when all we do is scroll social media instead of like. napping. or drawing. or watching a movie. or just poking each other.
if/when i find the money, i wanna get a flip phone too. i spend way more time than id like to admit playing those stupid, ad-riddled mobile games and i really need to stop.
Mhm it's crazy. My friends are so brain rotted it's crazy, especially since I'm out of the loop cus I don't have tiktok or insta anymore
by kiko!; ; Report
yeahh real. i want to delete instagram so bad but its my main form of communication with most of my irl friends. i hate how easy it is to get sucked into a loop of reel watching when all i wanted to do was reply to a message 3
by fischl/kellin; ; Report
I just give my irl friends my phone number, I don't got time for that LOL
by kiko!; ; Report
NOAAH65
I haven't had that thought exactly, but I have often thought that if I am going to die, I want to do so thinking that I have had a good life. A while ago, I bought the Kyocera Digno 902k, and since then I get more done in a day than I used to in a week.
People keep saying that they work but I don’t have service to support it I don’t think. And also I think it’ll be possible to dignify my iPhone instead to have nothing on it besides its basic functions
by kiko!; ; Report
I know it's not an option for everyone.
by NOAAH65; ; Report
Andy
The timing of this post is so comforting because I felt like I was going crazy feeling like I need a complete digital detox. No "Im deleting instagram for a week".. I'm 100% addicted to social media and my phone, and with college coming back into session, I need to minimize my distractions asap... I've been fixating on how to best do that for literally like the past 24 hours lol. As others have said- flip phones are going to be your best bet in terms of transitioning away from smart phones. From the research I've done in the last day, if you're in the U.S, the majority of our regions no longer support 2G or 3G phones- leaving us having to find 4G phones. I've personally been looking into Kyocera A202KC Digno keitais and kyocera 902kc/903kcs... They are Japanese flip phones that can still run android 10 and 8 (respectively), and are able to receive calls and messages through a number of providers (T-mobile has been the main provider to pop up for all 4G flip phones)- but they don't sacrifice aesthetic appearances, and seem relatively customizable. You can find them unlocked and sim free on ebay for like $120-$180, which I think is pretty good for a more stylish flip phone. I know a lot of people who are digitally detoxing in general are also mainly just getting away from "multi-purpose electronics" and going back to things like MP3 players, eBook readers, digital cameras, GPSs, etc... ("single purpose" devices). Sorry if you knew about a lot of this stuff already, but hopefully at least something was helpful.
T. G.F.
Why would it not be possible? Just use it less and less, at some point you'll stop caring about it.
Oh my goodness!!! Why didn’t I think of that !!! Geniussss
by kiko!; ; Report
Jax
YOUR PFP! DERPY! YAY!
Stepclaw
This is really relatable on the aspect of fearing that you have wasted a life because of tech.
It's crazy to see the amount of people sitting together in a group, but all of them are just staring at their phones - no communication, no socialness at all.
Also; hope everything with the detoxing goes well!
izzygrl
just get a flip phone, just do it. keep your old phone around you don't need to recycle it right away but just get one. if you need duel authentication or particular apps get the cat s22 flip, its huge asf but its great, its like $120, or if not, just get a flip phone, you won't regret it. i have had one for like 6-8 months now idek at this point and it has changed how i operate. just do it, dont hesitate, it will cause issues you have to find solutions to and texting will annoying but it is 100 worth it. just do it, this is you sign. the form factor of a smart phone is just too much, you really can't dumb it down bc you aren't really interacting with it, buttons and crappy slow apps and crunchy calls is what will get you off you phone and back to your life. just do it, join the club :3
Holy poetry I think I might just do it
by kiko!; ; Report
frogs43
Ive been using a Kyocera 902c and its changed my life!
Definitely way too expensive for me lol
by kiko!; ; Report
s0nd3r
i had the exact same thought last night and i put my phone somewhere and i cant find it but oh well
𝒮𝒾𝓃𝒻𝓊𝓁𝒮𝓀𝓎♡
I’ve been tryna detox too and honestly the best way to do it is get a flip phone and start using old tech . And it’s like way cheaper than modern devices so u save a lot of money and ur not consumed by phone 24/7
Exactly
by kiko!; ; Report
mag$
tech nerd here!
if you have an iphone, there's only so much you can do to limit its functionality. iphones will be a smartphone no matter how much you try to dumbify it.
however! android phones are suuuuuper customizable. if you have one or pick up a cheap one (cmf phone 2 is my suggestion) you can remove all the stuff you don't need, slap a custom launcher on it, and bam, dumb phone. I use Niagara launcher because it looks nice and is text-based, but if you don't want to pay for a lifetime license (or if you don't want to brave the high seas), Unlauncher is a nice and simple alternative designed specifically for dumbing smartphones!! Install your email, messaging app of choice, and other essentials, then delete or hide all the other apps, and you have a perfect touchscreen dumbphone!
If I’d get an android it’s be a secondhand pixel that I’d have graphene OS on. iPhone, that’s fine I guess I’ll just keep apps off my phone
by kiko!; ; Report
ashton
I've been going through the same process of removing my phone from my life for the past roughly 4 months as well!! My biggest problem was doom scrolling, and I've found ever since I got rid of the apps I scroll on I don't really have the urge to anymore. I do unfortunately still find myself scrolling on YouTube shorts sometimes as well, but I'm working to eliminate it!
I feel like its so difficult to detach ourselves from our phones because our generation has never lived without the internet in their pocket at all times. I know that I myself can't remember a time I didn't have a phone. I've noticed myself relying on constant stimulation, I mean, I hadn't felt actually bored in so long until I restricted my phone access. I stopped creating, I stopped writing, I complained over having to write or read 100 words. I started struggling to write, and to concentrate. Then when AI was introduced, I found the more I used it for the first year, my grades got worse and worse as I cared less and less.
I've noticed the same thing at my school with phones. In Queensland (AU) phones have been completely banned from all schools, but I still notice people risking a detention just to.. scroll on TikTok. It's sad how desperate we as people are to just stuff mindless stimulation into our brains.
Vyonnie<3
hey!! for the pager thing, i suddenly got real interested on whether it was possible so i did a bit of digging and came up with a small framework that might make it plausible! it's still a bit of a wip, but maybe ill update in the replies of this comment...:
some symbols + meanings:
Main concept:
note: When you mentioned "turning your phone into a pager" I was unsure if you meant your phone LITERALLY turning into a pager or making an external device yourself that acts as one, and my concept here relies on making an external device for a lower cost than a typical pager, and basically for text msgs for example, your phone sends them via routed data packets so my idea is a way to input those data packets into an algorithm to discern which user it's from (i was thinking of using a custom-programmed microcontroller, but exploring other options), and if it's from a user that typically sends important msgs (school staff, parents, etc.) then those data packets will be tuned to a specific radio frequency (the fixed one the "pager" is fixed at), and sent to the particular "pager".
note 2: That said, current implications are:
Tentative additions:
this comment should be pinned!!
by ashton; ; Report
⚝nowayy.-.frxncyy⚝
well it should be possible but it would require a lot of time and it could be a bit hard (im doing tech school), but in my opinion I think best choice is to choose a flip phone or something similar, I was considering that too ^_^¦¦¦
Sigh oh well
by kiko!; ; Report
Elijah
I feel you so much. I've always been very into technology, and I've been excited for the newest stuff, but with the rise of AI and algorithms shoving endless brainrot content down my throat, my enthusiasm has dwindled.
I tried turning my iPhone into a dumbphone, and adding screen time limits to apps, but eventually I just click "ignore for today" and keep going. I have made some progress by decentralizing my phone. I bought an old iPod Classic to use for music instead of Spotify, I bought a digital "disposable vibe" camera to carry with. It's got no screen, just a rangefinder, so I just point and shoot without worrying about it. All in all it's helped in keeping me distracted to the point that I almost forget I have my phone with me.
I'm also interested in trying a flip phone at some point, mainly for the novelty of being able to slam it closed to end a call lol
fredd
I totally get this. Not so long ago, I spent only around 20 minutes on my phone a day. Now, it's 3 hours +, not adding in other factors such as my laptop, or television. I feel like I've forgotten what it means to be bored, and that I always have to be stimulated. It had truly worsened everything in my life.
Honestly for me, I'd rather just jump to a big change that affects everything, than multiple smaller changes to my life overtime.
For me, that was switching my phone to 'assistive access'. If I ever need to, I can turn it off, although it takes a few minutes to do so, and makes my phone so, so boring, without loosing function altogether.
For the last month, I've had my phone's screen time under an hour, around 30 - 40 minutes. I've focused a lot more on physical media, and gotten back into reading, researching, and auditing random courses that seemed fun.
I've never really had a problem with my attention span, although I'd assume this would improve focus.
That's personally what helped me. I do love the idea of a basic flip phone though. I feel like it would be fun to decorate it :3
It's so great you're trying to improve yourself, it's such a rare quality nowadays (or just what I've seen) :DD