For Succession fans, that term “You’re too online” would be recognizable. But the reality is that many of us are way too online. I’m certainly guilty of this. I spend hours everyday online, email, Youtube, messenger and X aka Twitter. Way too much X.
I get lots of insights and inspiration but also lots of rage. It has also led to a marked decline in sociability in real life and dramatic decline in my ability to focus and concentrate. The quick dopamine hits are really damaging. And I’m generation X where I had to adapt to this in my twenties and thirties, not teens. No wonder the kids these days are so whacked out. Their brains are fried.
I think this is why there has been a backlash against mobile phones in some schools and households. We see the rise of digital sabbath where 1-2 days of the week are spent away from phones and computers. I see the rise of experiences and more hardcore athletic endeavors whether mountain climbing or martial arts where you have to be present. Or you literally will fall off a cliff or get punched in the face. We see the popularization of meditation. These are all signs of the counter-reaction to the digital trend. A way to retake our lives back.
As the ever wise Tai Lopez said: “Never stay fully connected to the (digital) world. Leave the phone in the house and go outside for at least an hour a day.”
Go take walks in nature. Grab a coffee or long lunch with some friends. Go rock climbing. Learn martial arts or how to shoot a gun. Travel to obscure places off the beaten path. #LiveExperienceMaxxing is a thing. If you do this, you may have a chance to recover from the digital dopamine hits wrecking all of us. Besides, IRL experiences are always better than virtual ones.