[purple-leafy]

Hey I read your article.

Have you ever considered:

1) Ditching social media (everything - Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn - everything. I don't mean delete the app. I mean delete all your accounts, and all the apps. No going back.)

2) Ditching your smart phone (Buy a brick phone)

I'm completely serious. I'm currently living this way, the phone was a recent addition in the last month. But social media, has been for years. I don't watch TV segments either (news etc).

I spend almost no time on my phone now. I spend my time building things, coding things, learning things (University courses/papers). I'm planning on kicking things up a notch next year.

The horizon for my learning in 2025 is:

- Game programming in TypeScript/C#/.NET/Unity

- Modding existing games (C/C++/C#)

- Low-level Graphics programming in C/C++

- Embedded programming in C

- Small amount of electronics

- Small amount of Assembly

- Diving into Backend Programming and Testing (.NET)

- Fleshing out my browser extension (React/TypeScript)

- Gaming (Fallout 4, Stardew Valley, Minecraft)

- Picking up University Papers (Probably Computer Science, Electronics, Machine Learning)

You should email me if you have any questions <hello> @ <PAPILLON><sOfTWaRe> <DOT> <dev>

If not, consider trialling, I mean REALLY trying the no social media and dumb phone thing.

[bazmattaz]

Ditching social media is a complete no brainer for me. I’ve ditched everything over the years but Reddit. For some reason I keep coming back to it. I really like the communities around specific topics (record collecting, docker, python, sports). I curate my feed so it only serves up content from my niche interests.

However even Reddit has become a time suck and endless scroll of low value content. That’s why I keep coming back to HN - Much higher value content.

[1dom]

Sorry to be "that guy", but where and why do you draw a line between social media, Reddit and HN?

I do the same, but I don't like it. I "don't use social media", but I use reddit, and I'm commenting here too. I think I'm deluding myself, and I think you might be too.

I'd guess what you come to HN and Reddit, and what you get from them both is no different to what a daily Facebook user goes to Facebook and gets.

For some reason, because the content type here is slightly more intellectual, slightly less emotional (generally...) slightly more focused on what I'm proud to call my interests (tech), I somehow feel like it's more justified.

If it's justified for people to use sites like this and claim it's not bad social media because it's related to our tech interest, I feel like we must accept people who use Facebook daily and claim it's not bad social media, because it relates to their interest in social stuff.

Practically, they have the same features and problems: a constant stream of information on which we can passively extract and offer views on.

Sorry, I don't mean be disagreeable, I just wish people would call this (including me) out more. The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it is that there are supposedly educated people like me and you claiming they "don't use" and have "ditched" social media to each other in the comments section of a media site. What do you think?

[bazmattaz]

No you’re not being disagreeable and this is why I love HN - the intelligent discourse!

The way I think about it - and I’m probably wrong about this - is that like there way there are good fats and bad fats. There is good content online and bad content. The good content like good fats feed the brain and are good for your overall wellbeing and development, bad content like bad fats are just damaging to your wellbeing and development as a person.

So if we put the actual websites aside for a minute and said that if someone consumes content from a website that makes them feel better (not a quick dopamine hit) and helps them develop as a person (like learning something new) then maybe that’s ok.

Conversely if they’re just scrolling endlessly consuming content that is just designed for a quick dopamine hit, it doesn’t actually make them feel better longer term or develop them longer term then yeh that’s not ok.

Maybe I’m rambling here but I think regardless of what platform you’re using there is content that feeds the brain in a healthy way and content that negatively affects the brain.

And for me there are certain platforms that use sophisticated algorithms that optimise for engagement regardless of how healthy the content is for the user in the long term. And then there are other platforms (like HN I believe) that have a reputation for high quality intelligent posts that, in most cases, are healthy for users

[buzzardbait]

Not the person you're replying to, but maybe "ditched" is a strong word. A few thoughts about the various forms of social media you've mentioned:

Browsing HN for 30 minutes is probably a better investment than browsing TikTok for 30 minutes.

Browsing TikTok for 30 minutes and learning a new healthy recipe is probably a better investment than reading international news for 30 minutes.

Light use of social media can be a greater net positive than complete abstinence from all forms of social media.

[1dom]

Thanks, you made me think, but not in a way that makes me doubt my original point.

Browsing HN for 30 mins is a better investment for someone who's life revolves around tech. If you're not a massive nerd, you're probably going to get more understanding and value out of 30 minutes of what TikTok serves. (I say that as a massive nerd who's never used TikTok).

It seems a pretty common trope in the comment sections of Reddit and HN on the subject of social media for people to act like they've solved the problem they had because they only use Reddit and HN. I do it too.

All that's happened is I've found a place in social media that's comfortable/familiar enough for me that I don't consider it as social media (unless it's really forced in my face). I imagine the experience is the same for a non-nerdy Facebook addict.

> Light use of social media can be a greater net positive than complete abstinence from all forms of social media.

I can't disagree with that, but it feels like a false dichotomy to justify our social media usage.

Getting info from individual sites and sources that you've personally and organically discovered and vetted feels like it would be a far far far bigger net positive overall than even light social media usage.

I keep meaning to get on mastodon, bluesky or other platforms that are meant to be more decentralised and slightly less algorithm-driven to find more interesting sources that I can just add to a local reader client or something, but HN/Reddit is more comfier/familiar/easier for me.

[buzzardbait]

I wasn't doubting your original point, more like complementing it.

Though on this:

> Getting info from individual sites and sources that you've personally and organically discovered and vetted feels like it would be a far far far bigger net positive overall than even light social media usage.

I would disagree, this is exactly what it means to live in a bubble.

[1dom]

Thanks! Although, curse you, making me think more. Touché.

That's a fair disagreement. Although I guess I was thinking that my individually curated sites and sources would include sites and feeds that themselves include diverse and new info. But then I guess that's just me not recognising that that's what people in a bubble think they're doing.

Do you have any nice, foolproof ways to reliably source new info online?

[purple-leafy]

I think Reddit is just as bad tbh, but I still like HackerNews as its so plain and boring, I hardly use it (at most 20 minutes a day).

[purple-leafy]

Reddit is the trickiest beast of them all. Not necessarily "social" media, but I have also blocked Reddit. I've had many accounts over the years, and it used to be a great site. But its become heavily moderated, politicised, toxic, advertising heavy. I really question if even half of the posts are genuine people posting (probably not).

I have a url blacklisting extension and I block reddit entirely, it wont even come up in google searches etc.

I think Reddit is one of the hardest to break from though. I've been completely off it for just over a month. I replaced it with HackerNews

[siberpunk]

The problem with social media for me is that I stay in touch with my friends there. I mean there are some people I don't know irl but following each other over 10 years, and I like to see / share what's new with our lives. Also, as a remote worker, the only way to communicate and create a professional network for me is also social media. I believe I can handle a couple of minutes every day to read about my friends and people I respect. The "algorithm" that shows me all those somehow interesting but not useful stuff, which leads me over consuming content, is the real problem. I need tostay away from that, not completely social media but I'm not sure if there is a such way..

Your goals for 2025 seems inspiring! I recently created a reading list for myself and I'm actually really excited for all those new stuff to learn

[purple-leafy]

Thats completely fair, and my approach does not work for most people as its quite extreme.

I still use WhatsApp to connect with people overseas, so thats replaced Messenger etc for me.

It is tough being a remote worker, and I totally get the difficulty with maintaining a professional network.

All good reasons there.

How I deal with professional networking is, I use email mostly, and I tend to stay in touch with people I genuinely find interesting and connect with. One of my best friends is an older gentleman who I met at a previous job, we always catch up for meals, coffees etc. He's one of my best network references. But other than that, my professional network is small, and I do have to put in extra work to maintain it.

Thanks for the thumbs up on the goals! I really only became this way this year (ADHD diagnosis + medication) and I'm really getting in to my learning now.

Whats on your reading list currently?

[tosmatos]

I think that is the way. I also ditched social media, used a brick phone for a while but went back to a smart phone for gps. Don't use it for social media though, since I have none.

Although, how do you feel about using your computer to "waste" time? Like spending too much time reading random things you find on the internet, for example.

[purple-leafy]

These are all great questions! GPS is bloody tricky, so lately just for getting to job interviews I use smartphone for GPS. But back to the brick as soon as I get home. I'm going to get a GPS in my car instead.

Computer I don't waste much time, I usually only use it for HackerNews ~20 minutes a day if there is something interesting to read, other than that its a work and coding machine. Some gaming too when I want to relax.

I also use Kagi as my search engine so I basically only get small web websites, not content/advert heavy sites

[xandrius]

I'd love to hear about your non-tech learning goals for 2025, I'm curious!

[purple-leafy]

Non-tech goals are a bit simpler:

- Job stability

- Commit to gym

- Save XX,XXX etc

- Buy a car