There isn't much to do nowadays. So we doomscroll.

A couple of weeks ago (as cringe as it may sound), I tried simulating the 2000's lifestyle by limiting my technology usage to things that were around in the 2000's. I realize this is a gargantuan generalization but the idea was not to recreate a 1:1 imitation of living in a certain year in that decade but to recreate a similar vibe. This meant, essentially, severely limiting my computer usage and not using my smartphone unless strictly necessary.

I'll probably explain better what I did in detail in another blog post in the future as that's not what I want to talk about.

Essentially what I want to talk about, which has been subject of reflection these past few days, is that there really is not much to do nowadays (especially in winter, when being outside is not ideal):

Low-effort social activities such as just hanging out have been replaced by low-effort "un-boring-ing" activities (activities that are low effort that postpone or that numb your boredom), primarily video games and doom-scrolling on social media. These activities, are I said, numb your boredom just enough in order to make your body not justify giving any more effort to do an activity that's just barely more entertaining.
Furthermore, smartphones and doomscrolling (as sad as that might sound) are the perfect activity for when you're tired (part of the reason why so many of us have trouble falling asleep at night), when you just want to unwind after a long day of work/school, many of us gravitate towards our phones (because from a practical standpoint, why wouldn't you?).

To this you might say "uhhh just embrace your boredom", "just be bored bro", "just do something bro". You're completely missing the point in that case.
Saying "embrace your boredom" is much much much easier said than done (as I said especially in the cold, wet, dark winter months). You can read a book after a long day of school, sure, but (especially as someone that admittedly doesn't read much) but the point is that I just do not want to, as I'm too mentally tired to do so. Maybe I'm missing the point of "embracing my boredom", but I'll allow myself to say that during the week "I spent in the 2000s" I was very bored very often, and aside from being able to not need constant stimulation, I didn't see/feel any other upsides. In short, being bored sucks.

I was so bored that my (tobacco) smoking habits changed. I would go out for a cigarette at random, just to do something.

Other than the harsh meteorological conditions there is an economical side to this. If I want to go out, where I'm at the cheapest place to do so is the bar/pub, which is pretty problematic since I can't go on a night out on a weekday and because even a beer can go for around $8 if not more. Definitely not a sustainable or a healthy habit. Other activities are even more expensive and further away from the city center, thus making going to these places (e.g the bowling alley or the arcade) even more unjustifiable.

I'm probably ranting and going on a tangent but I think I sent my point across: hanging out is too formal (and tedious if your public transit system is incredibly unreliable), boredom is boring, some activities require too much effort, it's expensive, that's why we doomscroll (other than it being super addictive).

Thank you for reading and I want to hear your thoughts.