Bing! Pop! Woosh! These are my best text imitations of notification sounds. And they are a major part of our activity today.
We are going to get into some ethical tech,which is part of the description for this program. In my view, ethical technology is tech that supports you as a person and doesn’t purposefully distract or hinder you. The Humane Tech Community calls it “human flourishing”. The Center for Humane Tech called is “fighting human downgrading”. Everyone has a definition of what ethically technology looks like, and we are working together to achieve that vision. But there is a general consensus that most apps are designed to capture your attention and not let it go. They are designed to be somewhat addicting. This leads to a discussion of the attention economy and the battle all the apps on our phones have for our limited daily attention. I will provide resources so you can go into depth, but the down low is this: the more you are on an app, the more data can be collected on you and the more advertising can be targeted at you, and the more money companies can make. All apps want you to be on their app, so they make their app design, notification sounds, and even their fonts as pleasing to you as possible so you won’t want to leave. Things like having an infinite feed also contribute to this desire to keep scrolling. So part of the reason we are on our devices so much is not because we lack willpower, but because the apps we are using are designed to trap our human brains. One of the easiest ways to help, at least somewhat, remove yourself from all of Big Tech’s shenanigans is to turn off notifications on all your nonessential apps. It is a very simple way to put yourself back in control of what you consume. Instead of responding to the singing call of a notification designed to pull you in, you can access what you want when you want. And every time you get the little box that reads “Would You Like to Allow Notifications?”, you click “Don’t Allow” from now on. Turning off Gmail notifications, I can say, really changed my life. It helped me stop chasing after every spam email and irrelevant school announcement that was popping up in my inbox. Below I will be linking a bunch of resources on ethical and humane tech, and how to turn off your notifications. Have fun taking back your attention! The Mindful Digital Native Resources: Addicting Design: https://www.vox.com/2018/2/27/17053758/phone-addictive-design-google-apple Why Notifications Are Distracting: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/rest/201507/notifications-are-the-new-distractions Center for Humane Tech - Why Our Attention Has Been Hijacked: https://www.wired.com/story/our-minds-have-been-hijacked-by-our-phones-tristan-harris-wants-to-rescue-them/ Center for Humane Tech Blog: https://humanetech.com/category/blog Tech Ethicist David Ryan Polger: https://www.davidpolgar.com/what-is-a-tech-ethcist#! How to Turn Android Notifications Off: https://www.digitaltrends.com/android/how-to-turn-off-notifications-in-android/ How to Turn Apple Notifications Off: https://www.tomsguide.com/us/turn-off-notifications-iphone,news-21195.html
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Hello all! Today we are going to talk about my favorite thing. Sleep. I really enjoy sleeping, as most students do. But cell phones can really mess us up. And I know everyone has heard this before, but today you are going to get a chance to experience science.
Your brain produces a chemical called melatonin, which helps you calm down and go to sleep. But a lot of our devices produce blue light, which is scientifically proven to energize and wake up your brain. When you use your phone before bed, you are disrupting a natural process that allows you to sleep, and are therefore reducing your sleep quality. Today, we are all going to put our phones down for 10 minutes before bed(at least). What I like to do is put my phone and charger far away from my bed. Then I sit in my bed and write in my journal, or read something, or actually apply the skin care routine that my sister planned for me. You realize there are tons of other things you could be doing before bed instead of scrolling. This is kind of a difficult spot for me. I, for some reason, have a very hard time not looking at my phone before I sleep. I know no one is going to text me at 1am, but I do it anyway. It’s a sport I’m trying to grow in, and we can all grow together! Use the tools you have collected this far to help you (like your journal, your reading, your ability to savor boredom). And when you wake up tomorrow, assess your sleep. Do you think you slept better? The Same? Worse? Write it down somewhere. See what happens. Sweet Dreams, The Mindful Digital Native Resources: How Blue Light Affects Sleep: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/blue-light-has-a-dark-side Ways Nighttime Phone Use Destroys Your Sleep: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/prescriptions-life/201804/6-ways-night-time-phone-use-destroys-your-sleep Testimony of Someone Who Stopped Using Their Phone Before Bed: https://www.businessinsider.com/i-stopped-using-my-phone-before-bed-2018-5/ On Day 7, we talk about eyestrain. Yes, we do.
Howdy y’all, it’s me again! It is also you again, hello! Today’s activity is about reading. Reading is one of my favorite things to do, and if you follow me on Instagram, you probably know that I really love Jane Austen books. Is that relevant to this activity, no. But I just wanted to let you know. Reading on screen is a part of daily life for all of us. We read emails, we read articles, we read texts. But we seldom think about the effects of all of this screen reading. It turns out, too much digital reading can be very bad for your eyeballs. It can cause headaches, dry eyes, and (of couse) a feeling of strained eyes. And on top of that, when we read digitally, we are not actually absorbing all the information on the page. We read in an F shape that causes us to skim and skip around. We can all use a break from our screens, and reading is always a good choice. So, pick up something. Anything. Could be a magazine at the doctors office, or a book you have been meaning to read for a really long time. And my recommendation is to carry your reading item with you, if you can, and keep a bookmark in it. One thing that always kept me from finishing books was losing my place and having to find it. Outside of Digital Wellness, reading is just a great way to take a break from today and step into the rich stories of others. I’ve noticed that as people get older and they leave school, they let their love of reading fade. Use this as an opportunity to bring it back! Today, try to use your reading material, whatever it may be, to replace your phone at least once. Catch you on the flip side, The Mindful Digital Native Resources: Symptoms of Digital Eye Strain: https://www.thevisioncouncil.org/content/digital-eye-strain F-Shaped Reading Pattern: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/f-shaped-pattern-reading-web-content/ How Eyestrain Messes Up Your Eyes: https://medium.com/the-mission/digital-eye-strain-is-destroying-your-eyes-4ac7f8e87b24 It is Day 6! We really out here guys! How are you? I hope you are doing very well.
Today’s activity is about getting outside! As an engineering student,and a student in general, a lot of my time is spent inside a lab on a computer, in my room on a computer, or in a library, you guessed it, on a computer. Sometimes, I don’t get to spend large amounts of time outside, and that is not good! During this time it's also easy to assume that you should not be going outside at all, as a safety precaution. But that is NOT at all good for you. You are allowed to go outside for your own health! Technology causes us to spend less time out in the world. It is unfortunate, but true. So today, we have another simple activity. Try to spend some time outside today. At least half an hour. For me, that probably means reading outside in the little garden area my school keeps. For you, it might mean going up to the room of your apartment building and looking out. Or maybe taking a walk through your neighborhood. You do not have to go to a national park to be in touch with nature! There are probably trees outside where you live somewhere. Or, make an adventure out of finding nature in your area! But the tricky part? You are going to take your phone. You are going to take your phone, but you are not going to use it. At all. Need to check the time? Use a watch. See something pretty that you want to snap a picture of? Don’t. It sounds simple, but it is going to be a little harder than you think. You can do it though! I believe in you! Enjoy today and everyday. Catch you on the flip side, The Mindful Digital Native P.S I highly encourage you to check out the resources below Resources: Reasons playing outside is good for kids: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/6-reasons-children-need-to-play-outside-2018052213880 Why We Don’t Go Out Anymore: https://counsellingresource.com/features/2014/02/11/we-dont-go-out-anymore/ Benefits of Forest Bathing: https://time.com/5259602/japanese-forest-bathing/ More Reasons the Outdoors is Cool: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/how-the-outdoors-make-you_n_5508964 Experiencing the Outdoors in the City: https://blog.nwf.org/2010/03/how-to-experience-nature-in-the-city-in-seven-days/ Hello everyone and welcome to Day 5! Almost one week down!
Today we are doing one of my favorite activities, “Following” clear out. Often times, we forget that we are in control of our social media feeds. We can curate what we want to see and what we don’t want to see. So today is very simple. Go through your “following” section and kick off everything and everyone that you don’t want to see anymore. Sometimes it can feel like a breach of loyalty when you unfollow brands or people you like, or used to like. But if what they are posting doesn’t make you feel good, get rid of it. You deserve to feel safe and supported online. Doing this changed the way I consume online media. I actually unfollowed a lot more people than brands and influencers because they were acquaintances that I didn’t know well, and we exchanged handles to “keep in contact” but neither of us really bothered to. (Y’all know what I’m talking about”) Seeing what they were doing did not really add value to my experience, so I unfollowed them. The result was a less cluttered feed that was more relevant to me, as well as less things to look through, and therefore less time spent scrolling. The most important thing I would like to stress is that just because we unfollow people online doesn’t mean we unfollow them in real life. You can be friends with someone, or be nice to them, and not follow them on Instagram or Twitter or Facebook. I refuse to support that exchanging handles is a testament to friendship, but that is a conversation for another time. You might be wondering, “How can I tell who I should unfollow?” Well, looking through your “following” section, you probably already have an inkling of who you want to go. But I recommend asking that following questions (pun not intended):
Happy unfollowing (and muting), The Mindful Digital Native Resources: Reasons to Unfollow: https://www.cheatsheet.com/gear-style/12-good-reasons-unfollow-someone-social-media.html/ How to Mute People on Social Media: https://help.twitter.com/en/using-twitter/twitter-mute https://help.instagram.com/290238234687437 https://www.imore.com/how-mute-instagram-posts-and-instagram-stories https://www.wikihow.com/Mute-Someone-on-Facebook Welcome to Day 4 of “30 Days of Mindful Tech”. It is I, the Mindful Digital Native. What’s crack-a-lacking. (Yikes). Yesterday, we all set up our minimalist journals to accompany us during this program. Today we are going to be needing them, because the activity for Day 4 is “Take a Tech Break”, where you will try to use your phone as little as possible!
Now I really debated about having this activity so early on in the program, because it is kind of a lot to ask. But together we are all going to really try to cut out unnecessary screen use out today. Let’s utilize our new screen time controls and journals to make it through! Woo hoo! And before I continue, I just wanted to clarify, this is not a digital detox, which is when you remove yourself from all technology for a given period of time. I think it is a little too early for that much of a challenge. This is a “tech break”, where we do our best to use our tech less, and we really pay attention to how we are using it. Both have their place! I’m not going to leave you without instruction, fear not! I have some tips to make this day a little bit easier:
I know this is more of a challenge than an activity. And I know it is very early on in the program. But remember, this is not about making your screen time 0 minutes today. It is about reducing it as much as humanly possible using our two new tools. We have a baseline, and we are now developing an “extreme minimum line” (that is the best word I could come up with) so we can work in between to find balance. I will provide some resources about the benefits of taking a tech break. And again, it’s about improvement, not cutting tech out of your life! I believe in you. You got this homie. Catch you on the flip side, The Mindful Digital Native P.S I hope you write about this experience in your new journal! If not, that is cool too! Resources: Bringing Your Phone into the Bathroom is Gross: https://metro.co.uk/2016/03/28/heres-why-you-should-never-take-your-phone-into-the-toilet-with-you-5773271/ Humane Tech Community Link: https://community.humanetech.com/t/how-to-build-a-mindful-phone/4235/20) Digital Wellness Collective (I used to work here go check it out!): https://medium.com/digital-wellness-warriors/how-technology-can-disconnect-us-from-the-world-the-importance-of-mind-body-integration-9942db1fc453 Digital Detox Benefits: https://www.bustle.com/articles/188786-5-scientifically-proven-benefits-to-unplugging-from-technology Hello hello people! Welcome to Day 3 of “30 Days of Mindful Tech”. I am your host, the Mindful Digital Native.
Let’s talk about yesterday, shall we? Journaling is difficult to get into, but I think you got it DOWN! We are going to be doing something fun today (I mean I think it’s fun). We are going to be getting new apps and researching new websites. There are tons of places to go instead of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, SnapChat, and whatever else the kids are using these days. I feel like amidst all of the news about COVID-19 it is good to go somewhere that is not the main topic of discussion. Of course that doesn't mean we avoid the news all together because it is critical that we stay informed during this time. But your brain needs and break, for your own sake. Information overload is real and it can genuinely effect you in a negative way (see resources below) Some of these alternatives are based on protecting user privacy, others are based on enhancing human connection and flourishing online. These are a list of social media alternatives you can try today!
The Mindful Digital Native Resources: Information Overload: https://hbr.org/2009/09/death-by-information-overload Hello and welcome BACK to 30 Days of Mindful Tech! I hope you had an interesting and informative experience yesterday, examining your screen time and learning about different tools you can use to grow. Today we are going to take a dive into the introspective by setting up a journal for your 30 day journey and maybe about other things too.
Journaling is intimidating for a lot of people because we feel like we have to be perfect with it. We think that we have to produce elegantly structured thoughts in calligraphy with millions of multicolored pens. We also think we have to write pages each day, every day, and force ourselves into a stringent commitment that makes the process unenjoyable. I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be that way. I have been writing in a diary for most of my life. And the way I’ve kept that up is by only having the goal of trying to write everyday. The goal is not about content, but just about daily practice. Some days I write one sentence some days I write three pages. It depends on the day and how I’m feeling. But I do it every day. In the digital age, it is easy to participate in something I like to call “tech escapism”, where we run from our own problems by inundating ourselves with information from the online world. I did, and still sometimes do, this by filling my time watching Youtube and going on Instagram to avoid accessing my present state. Personally, writing has allowed me to reconnect with my emotions and the issues I am having. It allows me a way to muddle through and understand the things I am going through without distractions. And at the very least, it provides me with an analog activity to participate in instead of going on my phone. There are tons of different types of journaling. But today we are going to set up what I am deciding to call a “minimalist journal”. Find something to write with. Don’t worry about using multiple colors or a fancy pen. A regular pencil or pen will do just fine. Now fine something to write on. Again, don’t worry about the quality or style of the notebook. You are writing in a 99 cent composition book, or on loose leaves of printer paper. As long as you can keep track of the pages. For each journal entry, write the date at the top. Now, start writing. It is that simple. You may feel that sudden panic of looking at an empty page. “I have nothing to write about.” My advice would be to examine yesterday's digital wellness experience. What apps did you use a lot? What do you want to change, if anything? Don’t worry about the eloquence of what you are putting down on the page, just write. I think that is the key to kick starting a journaling habit. Just write. Write about what is stressing your out or what is concerning you. Write about what your are hopeful or grateful for. You now have your very own minimalist journal. Congratulations! It is very exciting. I hope you will utilize it for the next 28 days. If you ever feel at a loss for words, you can always write about the activity you are doing for the “30 Days of Mindful Tech”. At the very least, you now have something to do instead of being on your phone, at the very most, a new tool for introspection. Thank you for being here with me on day two! I will be listing some more journaling resources down below! Catch you on the flip side The Mindful Digital Native Resources: Different Types of Journals: https://www.jofelo.com/17-different-types-of-journals-to-keep/ Importance of Journaling for Kids: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/student-journals-efficient-teacher-responses How and Why to Journal (with scientific evidence): https://lifehacker.com/why-you-should-keep-a-journal-and-how-to-start-yours-1547057185 More science: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/advances-in-psychiatric-treatment/article/emotional-and-physical-health-benefits-of-expressive-writing/ED2976A61F5DE56B46F07A1CE9EA9F9F Hello! Welcome to Day 1 of 30 Days of Mindful Tech. Things are getting scary and wild out there. The world is in a really serious place, and a lot of us are stuck inside out homes. At your request I am starting 30 Days of Mindful Tech again. Everyday I will release a small activity and a blog post that you can work into your routine to help you stay sane and limit the amount of over stimulation you may be feeling. It is hard to try new things when you are stuck in the house. Maybe this well help you get out of your rut! If you click on the calendar section for this 30 Days, you will also find a printer friendly version of the calendar,
The first step on this journey is knowing your baseline, or how long you use your devices each day. The only purpose this serves is to show improvement. The average person spends over four hours a day on their phone. That’ s almost 17% of the day. This figure also doesn’t include time spent on the computer. Now this would not be a problem if the time was spent doing necessary or fulfilling things, like answering emails from work or Facetiming a loved one. But it turns out, a lot of that time is spent on social media, especially when we are in a crisis such as this. I would like to point out, I enjoy social media and right now we don't have a choice but to stay informed. I could even be classified as an Instagram influencer (ew). But when being on these platforms starts to eat into time you could spend getting work done, spending time with people, or sleeping is when a problem begins to arise. I would like to reiterate that I DO NOT want you to throw your phone out the window and never touch it again. That would mean you couldn’t do the rest of the program (haha) and keep you from getting critical information we all need right now. But understanding how much time you are spending in the digital world, and where you are spending that time allows you to make the changes that you want to make. Maybe you want to spend less time on Facebook and more time reading articles on AP News. Maybe you just want to stop checking Snapchat as often. Maybe your want a break from everything that is happening in the news, but you don't know how to get there. Whatever the goal, screen time tracking can provide you with information to reach it. There are plenty of ways to go about tracking how much time you spend online. Apple has a built in screen time application now. When I had my old phone, which did not have the updated software for this application, I used an app called Moment, which is available in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. Moment uses the location function of your device to track how long you are on your device. There are tons of other options for screen time tracking, but I am only comfortable recommending the ones I have used. Now that you have a way to track your screen time, you can use your phone as normally. Go throughout the day and be natural (kind of hard after reading this article and knowing your time is being tracked, I know). And, at the end of the day, examine how long you spent on your device. And more importantly, in my opinion, examine what you spent your screen time doing. The Apple Screen Time app shows you a little break down of the apps you used that day, and so does Moment. Sometimes the results can be very shocking. When I began my digital wellness journey I was spending 4 to 5 hours a day on my phone looking at Instagram and Youtube. Now I'm obsessed with Tik Tok but that is a DIFFERENT STORY. But having that information allowed me to adjust my behavior, with some help, of course. That help came from screen time controls. Moment and Apple both allow you to set limitations for how long you use specific apps. After your day of screen time tracking, I encourage you to use these controls to make changes where you see fit for the rest of the 30 days. And please remember to be kind to yourself. Do not see this data as an avenue to be harsh on yourself, but rather as an opportunity for change. I close this article with a big thank you. Thank you for embarking on this digital wellness journey with me! I am excited to learn, grow, and have a good time with all of you. Especially in this uncertain time. Welcome, The Mindful Digital Native Resources: How Much Time Average Person Spends on Social Media https://www.inc.com/melanie-curtin/are-you-on-your-phone-too-much-average-person-spends-this-many-hours-on-it-every-day.html How Much Time is Spent on Social Media: https://mediakix.com/blog/how-much-time-is-spent-on-social-media-lifetime/#gs.gQ9TXx How Phone Affect Sleep: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/prescriptions-life/201804/6-ways-night-time-phone-use-destroys-your-sleep How to Use Apple Screentime: https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-use-screen-time-ios-12/) Moment App Link https://inthemoment.io/ |
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