My phone and I are glued at the hip, literally. When reality interrupts our time spent face-to-interface, I still keep it snug in my back pocket, ready to be reunited again with my scrolling fingers.
It was love at first sight, but our relationship quickly became all-encompassing, causing me to forget the things I once loved. I now find myself addicted to its cheap thrills and instant gratification.
It loves me; it loves me not. I sprawl in an overgrown field of tailored algorithms, constant dopamine hits, suffocating consumerism, deepfakes, and unfiltered hate speech. Each petal tells me something different, but I know deep down that it’s time to break up with my cellphone.
I could download an app that blocks all my favourite apps. That feels a little meta. I could throw out my cell altogether and replace it with a Brick Phone. I’ve seen ads all over Instagram for that. But these options feel a little harsh. After all, my phone and I had some good times. I want to end our codependency through boundaries and the slivers of autonomy I still possess.
If you resonate with this preamble, read on for The Tribune’s suggestions for breaking up with your phone.
Befriend a book
It can be daunting to pick up a book when already faced with a few hundred pages of assigned weekly readings, but I firmly believe that getting lost in a good book is more gratifying than any doomscroll session could be. An easy way to get back into reading is to simply begin carrying a book with you everywhere you go. Every time your friend is late to your coffee date or the classroom projector fails, instead of mindlessly reaching for your phone, read a few pages. When screen time is used to fill in all the gaps in your daily routine, phone use becomes an automation. If you instead use these moments to read, you will slowly realize how much more time you have in a day.
Organize no-screen hangouts
Invite your friends over, tell everyone to bring a book, a craft, or a game, and spend the night relaxing //sans// phone. As collaborative as watching a movie with friends is, it’s likely that the group will end up mindlessly scrolling. Even if a movie isn’t on, it’s increasingly common to “rot” with your friends at home and all end up silently engrossed in your phones. To avoid this, create a space where alternative individual activities can still be performed in a shared environment.
Invest in long-form content
As depressing (or embarrassing) as this may be, watching a movie or episode of television at the end of the day has become something of a lost pastime thanks to the rise of short-form content like Instagram Reels, TikTok videos, and YouTube Shorts. With shrinking attention spans, nights are lost to doomscrolling that feels involuntary. Leave your phone in another room and reclaim your evenings by finding a new show you love, or go to //Letterboxd// and find your new favourite movie.
Accept occasional boredom
Pay attention to moments where your phone is present when it doesn’t need to be: Before bed, first thing in the morning, walking through campus. Acknowledging that your phone has invaded all aspects of life is the first step to decentralizing it. Once aware, let yourself sit in occasional boredom. Stare out the window and people-watch. Think about where you would like to be instead of waiting for the bus and get distracted in a daydream. Ground yourself in the present, to avoid floating away indefinitely.
