Alright.
It’s time to talk about something that’s near and dear to my heart. And, something that I suspect is near and dear to y’all’s hearts as well. Namely, how the news media and the establishment wants you to believe in all of their nonsensical distractions.
Case in point: Digital Detox.
You know the drill. Actually putting down your phone and all of the other devices, thinking it’ll work and that you’ll somehow magically become a better person. Of course that doesn’t work in 2023. Phones and other devices are meant to be used. Unless you willingly want to discard technology and live like a monk, this thing doesn’t work. And, you’re quite likely not on my list if you want to live like a monk. If there’s anything they have, it is time.
Anyway, so I was inspired by some article from BBC.
The article itself wasn’t *that* silly. Actually there were many good points. But it is *the way* the article is being built up that is worrisome and done deliberately to make people believe in this digital detox silliness.
You can read the full article here: https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20230313-is-it-possible-to-digital-detox-anymore
The headline of the article reads: ‘Is it possible to digital detox anymore?’
A very open-ended question that has a lot of people thinking about starting to detox, because they want to ‘prove themselves.’ Clever and hypnotic marketing there.
But wait, it gets better.
Let’s continue with the first paragraph:
‘In February, news broke that Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff had taken a ‘digital detox’: 10 tech-free days at a French Polynesian resort. For a small group of people, taking a step back from devices is an achievable dream – but for most, it’s an impossibility, especially now.’
People who read this aren’t CEOs and they know that there’s more to it. Why does the article even mention the rich and the privileged who actually *are* able to take some time off their screens? And for the record, and I’ll get back to it, I have a way of half-detoxing which I’ll share with you later.
Anyway, so the article goes on and on about how technology is an integral part of our lives and all the things you really knew but that still somehow needs to be said [not sure why other than having to fill the article with empty filler words].
Midway through the article, this paragraph sticks out like a sore thumb:
‘The combined shift to hybrid work and hybrid relationships makes the traditional idea of digital detox not just outdated, but nearly impossible. Digital detoxes are touted as an anxiety-relieving panacea that will pull people away from distracting screens, and reconnect them with the present moment. But as people’s lives and screens are more inextricable than ever, the idealisation of disconnection may end up causing more anxiety when you can’t achieve it.’
No shit, Sherlock! Y’all didn’t think we already knew that? Why did it take you that long and that much nonsense to point out the obvious? In 2023, phones/tablets/laptops and so on are tools, not toys. Readers of this list know that very well. In fact when was the last time you even played some game on your phone? I really cannot remember. I don’t think I’ve ever done it. Watching some television shows here and there for entertainment? Absolutely. But playing games and wasting my already valuable time? No Sir Ee!
You all see the problem here, right?
The problem isn’t the content of the article. The above quoted paragraph actually contains a lot of wisdom. The problem is of course getting the reader turned off by inserting the valuable gold so far down the article, most readers have fallen off.
I know I sound a little tinfoil hat conspiracy theorist-ish here, but I absolutely believe the aim of the article is to make the reader:
i) Read the headline and start thinking about digital detox.
ii) Read perhaps the first two paragraphs about how the CEO did it and how they *can* do it just to prove a point.
iii) Ignore the rest of the article where all the helpful stuff really is and completely misunderstand the point.
iv) Not gain a single benefit in life.
Yeah, that’s my harsh take on this article. The news media is deliberately making you do things you shouldn’t do by tricking and deceiving you into doing various stuff. Let’s take the open-ended headline as an example;
‘Is it possible to digital detox anymore?’
They’re asking you in an open-ended way if it is possible, by making you triggered. Instead of turning it into an opinion piece and say something like ‘Digital Detox doesn’t work anymore’ and argue why. That would have been a *much* healthier way of informing the reader about why putting down your screens doesn’t work.
I mean, what more proof do you need?
Don’t you see it how they’re playing games with you?
To further build up on my point, here’s one of the final paragraphs of the article;
‘Ultimately, say experts, the goal shouldn’t be to cut off technology, full stop – or internalise the pressure to do so. People still need to send an email or dash off a text, but can do so without getting distracted by the various wormholes of online content.’
Notice how …’without getting distracted by the various wormholes of online content.’ is cleverly hidden towards the end of the article.
That’s the entire point! Using your phone and your social media presence as tools, not toys. Not for wasting your time, but for protecting your time.
And, the news media are very clever in hiding the best stuff towards the end, when they know that the people who need to hear this the most – the young Gen Z kids who grew up with a phone and feel bad for using it, really could do with such information.
Anyway, I’ll stop my rant now and hopefully you understood this point.
You are being distracted by so-called ‘educational content.’
As for my personal detox tip? Well, I simply put my phone away for certain hours on days I know there is no urgent matter and happily enjoy life. Then I check it again in the evening or some such. Then I’m out again.
Try it and see how it works for you.
And, I would be remiss to remind you about your opportunity to get a FREE ebook on Time and Energy Protection [TEP] when you sign up for my email list.
Simply click this link and follow instructions: www.aaryningen.com
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