surviving technology: starter strategies for human creatures
we're just neanderthals with astrophysics
dear cryptids,
are you settled with a hot drink?
I’ve been thinking of practical ways to resist systems that lure us into passivity to their benefit.
One such oppressive system is the addictive influence of technology. It’s *almost* guaranteed to be a losing fight, pitching our caveman neurocenters against the lightning in our palm.1
Bear with me a second because this can easily get into preachy territory, which I despise.
Time is literally all we have in life, and we don’t know how much of it we will get. Addictive technology (separate from functional and structurally important technology) steals our time to pay the big man upstairs. Not God, but some CEO buying his 3rd yacht.
The science of dopamine indicates that when we are using it, our brain thinks we’re having a good time. It’s a skinner box. (Watch this vid by the delightful HGModernism!)
The sad truth is my rat brain was intended to utilize dopamine for finding fruits in the wilderness, and sitting in the sunshine and watching plants grow.
Not to watch 200 30-second videos before I get dressed.
A caveat: Abandoning technology to live in the woods is regrettably off the table for most of us.
The question I have pondered is how to center ourselves in spite of the forces of technology that erode our sense of self, peace of mind, and grasp on reality?
Here are some ideas I have collected and tested over the last several years.
1. when you wake up
Avoid using your phone as an alarm clock.
I am searching for a digital or analog alarm clock that doesn’t scare me shitless every morning (Please send recs).
The idea is to give my brain a chance to wake up for as long as possible before I swamp it with The Entire World.
It does suck. My brain sometimes feels like it’s physically buzzing from my need for stimulation.
What do I do instead? Things I have to do anyways. Walk the dog, make tea, pee. Riveting.
After a few days, maybe a week, I start feeling a little more clearheaded, like my brain put on glasses.
2. foster awareness
I often open Screen Time and know factually I wasn’t even awake for the number of hours it displays. And yes, it makes me feel bad.
Instead of trying to reverse guilt trip myself, or immediately cut back to 30 min per day, I try to start noticing my gut impulses.
how many seconds pass during a lull in activity before my hand moves to grab it?
what kinds of situations lead me to I instinctively open my phone?
what emotion would I do anything to avoid feeling?
phone modifications
I’ve permanently removed Instagram and Facebook apps, because I have the mental constitution of a mole rat.
I occasionally access them through my browsers, but it’s too cumbersome to keep me there longer than a few minutes.
apps for reducing phone time/addiction:
-Opal (mindful screentime reduction; monthly subscription)
-Dumbify (home screen minimalism; 1x purchase). This one takes some time to get used to.
I still ended up using regular apps on the second page, because it’s so hard to recognize an app with just text.
It’s aesthetic. May work for some people.
cutting back on smart tech
I traded my Apple watch for a tiny $15 digital watch like the one I had in middle school. I still wish it could tell me the weather.
In 2018 I used a Nokia 3310 for several months. I felt so present everywhere I went… until I got lost in the city for about 2 hours.
It’s less plausible for me to switch to a brick phone now, having to commute and clock-in using smart apps.
A hold on this one, for now.
3. breathe
We have much more compassion for animals than we do for other humans, or even ourselves.
Everyone knows the inherent wrongness of wild animals being kept needlessly in captivity, like a tiger pacing in circles.
You are one such creature, and you deserve sunlight and good food. Sitting still, entranced by screen media for long hours, causes harm to the complex, natural organism that is your self.
So what will we do instead? What we have to do anyways. Eat, drink, take walks.
Notice the clouds. Read a few pages of that book that’s currently collecting dust on your bedside table (Mine: The Two Towers, J.R.R. Tolkien. Why do they spend so much time feasting).
Slowing down is a different sort of good. It won’t feel exciting, or instantly grab you the way tech does.
Have compassion for yourself like you would for a beautiful, wild creature. It’s not at all unmerited. <3
The zen monk Thich Nhat Hahn might disagree with my usage of “strategies for being human.” He teaches that we are in our essence always perfectly fulfilling our purpose on earth and therefore, our humanity, merely by being.
The Buddha sits, and is, and therefore perfectly fulfills his beingness.
The zen meditation practice may be described as stripping away all of the reaching, desire, and habitual frenzy to experience the pure distillation of satisfaction of being in all it’s simplicity.
I recommend his easy-read books from the How to Sit Series, available as free audiobooks on Hoopla or through your local library.
The one thing to remember: Cutting edge technology is being leveraged against our glorified monkey brains (affectionate).
This is an uphill swim. Take small steps and offer yourself compassion.
Thank you for everything. I’ll take your empty mug.
Book Recommendation: Stolen Focus by Johann Hari. A reminder to utilize your local library system before considering a book purchase. Go to https://libraryfinder.org/ to locate your nearest library.
currently trying to simplify my life this hit super close to home! love love love this