Reflections

Here's another thing I do to make my technology less addictive, in addition to using the Unhook add-on, using focus mode on my phone, using permanent Do Not Disturb on my smartwatch, and using permanent Do Not Disturb on my smartphone:

I use the Clickbait Remover add-on in every browser that supports it. It replaces ridiculous, attention-grabbing YouTube video thumbnails with images that are actually grabbed from the video. In that way, it defeats the dishonest alarmism that creators employ to win your attention. It's one more reason I disable the YouTube app on my phone, using Android's wellness tools to limit the app to 0 minutes per day, and only use YouTube through web browsers, where these add-ons can take effect.

There's another add-on, DeArrow which de-shittifies both thumbnails and titles. I don't use it because I feel it's a little overzealous and because I think its settings UI is overwhelming, a pet peeve, but others might like it. It's made by Ajay Ramachandran, who also made SponsorBlock, which skips over sponsored content in videos.

#Business #SocialMedia #Technology #UserExperience #Wellbeing