Why this website exists
The motivation behind this website was seeing the reaction of my peers to when I bring up the topic of device and social media overuse.
I can classify them in two categories:
- Those that weren’t aware of the possible negative effects and the mistreatment of consumers by big names in the industry;
- Those that were semi or fully aware, but simply laughed it off as a necessary evil, something that simply cannot be changed.
Every time I was met with either of these reactions, I felt a little weird. Maybe these people are genuinely happy with their digital lives, and if so, all the power to them.
However, if there were others that were like me, who felt like they were losing control of their time and attention, and that there had to be some explanation as to why the hell it was happening, then I would like to be able to help them.
Most of all, I have a genuine wish to create a one-stop-shop for many important questions on digital media of today, so that people know where they can find answers if they need them.
Why even make this public?
The reason I decided to start a blog, as opposed to journaling like a normal person, was that I wanted to share some of these thoughts with others in a similar situation to me. If you’ve noticed that you feel anxious, depressed or overwhelmed every time you pick up your phone or tablet – content of this website might prove interesting (or even useful) to you.
Of course, mental health issues are a separate problem, and there are no studies definitively proving that social media use cause them. However, social media (and other aspects of our digital lives) can and do make it more likely that we find ourselves in unhealthy feedback loops.
This blog aims to break down and discuss how websites and apps are designed, what the intentions are behind certain decisions, and then what we can do to take control of our time and energy.
My ethos
- I want to provide an easy-to-navigate website with pure content and no nonsense.
- You will never see any sign-up forms or pay-walled information here.
- Feel free to get the info you need and just leave. No strings attached.
Only request
My only request from you, the reader, is to give proper credit if you end up using some of the information from this website. I spend many hours of research for every blog post I do, so I’d appreciate it if you could link back to this blog if you intend to share the information from it.
With all that out of the way, I hope you find this website helpful!
Happy reading!
Sara
Digital Sobriety 