Sorry I typed a lot, so I get if you don’t want to read my whole post lol.
I recognize the irony of asking this on a super online forum, but with the introduction of Sora AI and the AI getting harder and harder to detect, I’m getting to the place where I’m personally think I need to start fortify my mind and start to unplug from big tech and the internet more.
I’m starting to build my own NAS to self host media that I curate. For me, my digital plan to ward off the brain rot is easy: RSS feeds, email newsletters, and self-hosting and getting off big social media platforms (YouTube is gonna be hard , ngl; I legit have a YT addiction…)
But for the IRL offline piece, I don’t even know where to start. I spent the vast majority of my life by myself on computers (entering my mid-20s). Because I have neglected building social relationships, I’m so socially inept, lol. I’m starting from zero. Like, I know for older folks and more offline zoomers, this might sound dumb asking, but if you are more comfortable being by yourself alone on a screen, dealing with the real world and ppl unpredictability is hard knowing where to start.
I’m out of college, and grad school is too expensive, lol. It’s crazy to think just 20 years ago ppl lives were completely different. And with the direction the internet is going, it just getting filled with bots, slop, and ragebait, I recognize I need to better use my time on earth, but it’s hard when most of my life I’ve spent online in front of screens. Like, I’m kind of a bit agoraphobic,(not completely; I go to office when required, though), and WFH and all the internet conveniences make staying indoors so easy and attractive (amazon, walmart, streaming, porn). I was listening to my favorite podcast and they said “We need to make real life more enticing than the internet.” And that really stuck with me.
Our brains have been hijacked by big tech to keep our eyeballs on their platforms for profit. and with the AI stuff, the level of fakeness I cannot personally tolerate, and I dunno if the combo of just me getting older and becoming dissatisfied with my life and all that is causing me to seek advice from strangers on the internet to help inform some changes lol.
Poor social skills/social circle: It’s never too late to start working to fix that.
YouTube addiction: I love YouTube…but I only watch through NewPipe and only my subscribed channels which are all long form content of substance. You don’t have to ditch YouTube, you can just use the good bits. Never look at algorithm recommendations (main page or suggested videos).
Offline life: pick something new you like. I’ve been building things (DIY, handmade mechanical keyboard, woodworking). If you find something you like then you can find a club or group and that makes you socialise too. Some people join hiking groups, or weekend park run. Or even if you’re starting solo, you can walk through a city and practice photography (this can be on your phone, don’t need any fancy equipment). There are literally a near infinite number of cheap/free options to consider, the difficult part is deciding what’s of interest to you and finding ways to make it happen.
Those are some good hobby ideas! I’m going to get back into drawing and doing urban sketching to get out of the house more and join some local urban sketcher meet ups.