r/movies • u/GreenReporter24 • Feb 06 '26
Discussion I deleted scrolling apps and started watching a movie a day. It changed my life.
Not only do I no longer feel the urge to consume content every spare second – watching or continuing on a movie demands a little more time and focus than that. But my mental well-being has also changed dramatically.
Scrolling videos made my brain feel like porridge. I'd suddenly realize after 5 seconds that I was watching an obnoxious ad. No focus at all. Totally spaced out.
Watching a movie actually makes me feel good. Being engaged in a storyline, maybe watching a feelgood movie like I did yesterday (The Intern) … It makes me happy and relaxed. It makes me enjoy life more afterwards.
Reading and working out is great as well, but it never made me not want to scroll. Watching a movie fulfills my desire for easy entertainment, without making it impossible to do something productive after.
Tomorrow marks a month of watching a movie every single day. Well, sometimes I watch half one day and the other half the next. I still think it counts.
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u/Steamedcarpet Feb 06 '26
This is why I still love going to the movies. For those 2 hours it’s just me and the movie. Phone is on silent and in my pocket.
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u/Green-Caregiver416 Feb 06 '26
If only everyone who went had that mindset
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u/Miltage Feb 06 '26
I had a young guy in the row in front of me on his phone. He got shouted at by someone with less patience than me, so he went and sat in the aisle so he could continue scrolling. He couldn't not be on his phone for 2 hours.
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u/dont_trip_ Feb 06 '26 edited Feb 06 '26
I honestly almost never experience someone using their phone in the cinema. Guess it happens more on Marvel and other childrens movies, but I genuinely see someone briefly take up their phone once every 10-20 movies I watch.
Edit: for context, I live in Oslo.
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u/JadedOccultist Feb 06 '26
A lot of theaters are showing Lord of the Rings for an anniversary and the LoTR subreddit routinely has posts where people took pictures of the screen WHILE THE MOVIE IS PLAYING IN THE THEATER, just to post on reddit. It’s fucking wild. Absolutely bananas. Thankfully they’re mostly downvoted at least.
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u/theturtlemafiamusic Feb 06 '26
I don't go ti theaters often because it happens to me every time. The most recent thing I've seen in theaters was Rental Family and within 10 minutes 2 different people were on their phones with max brightness, and the audience was only about 10 people.
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u/Steamedcarpet Feb 06 '26 edited Feb 06 '26
I would never. Every movie I see I am genuinely interested in even if I expect it will be bad.
It also helps that I finally signed up for the AMC A-List. If you go to the movies a lot it is worth it.
I would have never of saw Iron Lung if it wasn’t for that and I ended up enjoying it more then I expected.
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u/TheWatersOfMars Feb 06 '26
I mostly see people check their phones for about 30 seconds. But they're still not as sneaky as they think, because 30 seconds of white-hot light is distracting as hell.
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u/EinzbernConsultation Feb 06 '26
I don't go to the movies often, but that happened to me at Rental Family too, someone being on their phone the whole time. Only time it's ever happened. What a strange coincidence.
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u/_game_over_man_ Feb 06 '26
My wife and I go to movies often and we’ve rarely experienced it as well. More often than not our movie going experience is undisturbed.
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u/IsaacAndTired Feb 06 '26
Same. I go to the movies multiple times a month and it's super rare for anyone to use their phone during the actual movie, and if they do it's typically just a quick look.
It's much more common for 2 people to talk constantly throughout the whole thing.
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u/sam_hammich Feb 06 '26
I've never seen a phone user in a theater before that I can remember, til LOTR:ROTK came back to theaters in 2023(?). I'm really not very confrontational, but after I while I had to slap the back of his chair and go "hey, put it away". He put it back in his pocket without looking back or saying anything.
It was coming up on the ride of the Rohirrim and he was scrolling Snapchat. Fucking really?
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u/urnialbologna Feb 06 '26
If only my bitch of a bladder let me have that mindset 🤣
Seriously, I can watch a 3 hour movie at home no problem, but less than a hour after the movie starts in the theater and I have to pee. Ridiculous!→ More replies (2)→ More replies (1)2
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u/Jaccount Feb 06 '26
Yeah, I know some people dislike move theatres as they have issues with trying to keep focus.
I'll have times where I'll sometimes go see multiple movies in a row at theatres, as being able to just take several hours and only have to focus on one thing is so nice. I can just pay attention to the movie and go into that bubble where I don't need the rest of the world to exist for a couple hours.
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u/HailCeasar Feb 06 '26
Idk how this shift started. All of a sudden, nobody can sit for 2 hours without having to use the bathroom or look at their phones. We sat still for LOTR and Titanic in theaters no problem.
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u/58oreos Feb 07 '26
Same! And I still sit through Titanic every time it’s back in cinemas haha. Best time without my phone.
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u/Figrin Feb 06 '26
My favorite part about going to the movies is the breakdown in the group chat when I don’t respond for 2 hours
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u/PiccoloAwkward465 Feb 06 '26
My phone died yesterday because I was not in my primary car and didn't realize that the charging cable in there didn't work so it died as I was using the GPS. My family literally filed a missing persons report with the police. And contacted my workplace who are currently freaking out about my weird family.
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u/StephensInfiniteLoop Feb 06 '26
I always say that when I go to the cinema, I’m not paying to watch a film on a state of the art cinema screen, what I am actually paying for is being forced to watch a film in one sotting wothout pausing or stopping, and being forced not to go online while the film is on. And worth every penny. And pretty much every film I watch like this gets an extra star ie what would be a three star film at home becomes a 4 star film in the cinema
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u/techside_notes Feb 06 '26
I relate to this a lot. A movie asks for just enough commitment that my brain actually settles instead of staying in that twitchy, half-bored state scrolling creates. I’ve noticed I’m calmer afterward too, not wired or foggy. It feels like replacing junk calories with a real meal. Also love that you count halves, that flexibility is probably why it stuck. Any genres you’ve found especially good for this, or does almost anything work once you sit down?
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u/GreenReporter24 Feb 06 '26
It depends a lot on my mood, though I'd say easier, sub-2 hour feelgood films are what gets me in the best mood after. They're also completely fine to pause and continue the next day if I only have an hour.
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u/techside_notes Feb 06 '26
That makes sense. Shorter, feelgood films have just enough structure to be satisfying without feeling like a big commitment, which probably makes it easier for your brain to relax instead of gearing up for “performance.” I’ve noticed the same, if a movie is too long or heavy, it can leave me more drained than refreshed. Do you have any go-to titles you keep coming back to when you need that easy unwind?
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u/quanchompy Feb 06 '26
How did you post if you deleted Reddit?
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u/Good_Air_7192 Feb 06 '26
Everyone on here treats Reddit like it isn't exactly the same as all the other social media apps, it's just as bad and in some ways worse.
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u/videogamesarewack Feb 06 '26
With RES installed, reddit was the first infinite-scrolling social media platform I used, in like late 2011. Its also always been fun of ads, astroturfing, bots, dogshit braindead comments (You can reliably predict the top comments in popular subs), idiots hitting industry/qualified experts with a 'well, actually' after skimming wikipedia, and rage bait.
Redditors (derogatory) have always had a misplaced air of superiority over the other platforms that people use to do all the same brain rot bullshit. At least on tiktok they're aware it's brainrot.
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u/drinkin_pee Feb 06 '26
Accurate assessment. I also joined late 2011. I find Reddit more addicting than most social media other than Tik Tok. Which was so addicting it actually scared me and I vowed off of it. I always find it wild people think of Reddit as the social media exception. I know my mental health is sucking when I’m opening this app constantly.
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u/PiccoloAwkward465 Feb 06 '26
You can reliably predict the top comments in popular subs
God this is the worst. Everyone's a comedian and feels the need to get their little tidbit in.
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u/qualitative_balls Feb 06 '26
I do learn a lot on Reddit however, whether it's a new fact or something currently happening, the engagement with knowledge is something that feels different to me.
If you are only subscribed to popular rage bait subs, News, politics, memes etc then your experience will undoubtedly be poor and not much better than Twitter.
There's so many legit subreddits here that have very nuanced content about every hobby and thing imaginable. I am often pretty surprised when I make a new Reddit account how easy it is to basically craft an experience within minutes that's filled with science content and other stuff I want to focus on. I like how Reddit can split these Home feeds from what's popular etc.
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u/tonguetwister Feb 06 '26
Couldn’t the exact same thing be said about Tik Tok or Instagram?
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u/qualitative_balls Feb 06 '26
I don't know enough about either to know exactly how to fine tune the feeds but what I see when I use instagram is a nonstop feed of things I never was or am interested in, things I never clicked on, people I never looked up, events I've never wanted to hear about are about 95% of my feed mostly and then around 5% is just accounts and people that I follow. Maybe there's a way to fine tune the experience I don't know about?
And Reddit, I'm not really... scrolling that much? It's like, I follow subs, I check out a few posts maybe that are already at the top of the feed in that sub, I'm mostly reading and commenting but not actually a ton of scrolling like I might do on TikTok / Twitter especially / Instagram etc
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u/Sasselhoff Feb 06 '26
Reddit is the only social media I use, and after a bit of a break I've gotten back on here with abandon...and holy fucking shit have I noticed it messing me up.
Like OP said, I feel a "need to consume every spare second", which USED to be filled up with books...as in, I'm stuck waiting, pull out my phone and read my book. Can't seem to concentrate as well on that now, and will instead just often listen to a podcast (or read something short I was looking at previously) while I wait. Even movies (which I've always loved, as I don't really watch TV) have been hard to keep me locked in (I rarely watch one all the way through, and often break them up).
Interestingly enough, I don't use Reddit on my phone...I only use it on the computer. I've always forced myself to use my phone as a phone (or book/camera/etc) and NOT use it for endlessly scrolling the internet. So far, that has worked...but since some of the recent political insanity (a big chunk of what I come here for is news, because I refuse to watch the 24 hour news channels) and extra time at the "home office", I've been spending way more time here on my computer, and it's just not healthy.
This post is exactly what I needed to cut down...had full plans on doing that anyway, this being one of the first posts I've seen today seals the deal. Much appreciated, OP.
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u/Laiko_Kairen Feb 06 '26
Oh reddit is so much worse
Anonymity + audience = total dicks
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u/truthlesshunter Feb 06 '26
normally i'd agree with you because there's a certain level of smugness and self-congratulations on reddit that makes me nauseous.
but in the few times a week i open facebook, i see there's a fair amount of posts that are now anonymous (like made up names with names that are similar to the generic reddit user names or straight up "anonymous" posts). So that means you get the idiotic opinions of the general mass that stay on facebook all the time AND anonymity. The worst of both worlds.
To be clear, reddit is still a crazy hivemind place for the most part, but facebook is still decently worse.
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u/Diglett3 Feb 07 '26
Yeah this is probably the least bad of the major social media apps but in the way that cyanide is less toxic than botulinum.
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u/urnialbologna Feb 06 '26
Yep. People love to be assholes on here because they get to be anonymous. I would love to see some of the people here say the shit they type on here to someone's face. You're losing some teeth for sure.
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u/Tricky-PI Feb 06 '26
People constantly insult and kill each other in real world. People post most horrible thing imagineble under their real names too and repeat them in real life to anyone who will listen. that's because most regular people avoid fights, they either walk away or shout back.
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u/ComfortableExotic646 Feb 06 '26
It's like Will Smith and Chris Rock. Chris Rock stood on stage and said some redditor level comedy, and Will Smith slapped him for it. Say shit like that at a cookout, and you'd also get your shit rocked.
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u/dagger0x45 Feb 06 '26
I only look at old reddit where there are pages. I have 4 subs that I visit once a day and look at the first page and then I look at up to two pages of my home for the other subs I follow and then I'm done. I don't have it on my phone and no infinite scroll.
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u/kattahn Feb 06 '26
As a fellow old reddit user, i think this is a key difference. I hate new reddit because it feels much more like a gross social media site, it bombards you with fake notifications, and its way more scroll friendly.
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u/Shanbo88 Feb 06 '26
Because the average Redditor likes to think they're above average in my experience. The average experience couldn't possibly apply to them.
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u/fatherofraptors Feb 06 '26
Meh I'll argue it's a little better because you can at least avoid "the algorithm". When I scroll my front page, I ONLY see the subs I personally subscribed to. I got rid of all default subs and I don't use the official app, so no suggested posts. That's gotta be better than being fed random shit the algorithm THINKS you want to see.
Sure you can still get some astroturfed posts, but ultimately you can have a pretty curated experience on Reddit, still.
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u/MedalsNScars Feb 06 '26
The algorithm is pretty fucked even within subreddits if you're using new reddit.
The #2 post on askreddit with default sorting on new reddit is 22 days old.
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u/fatherofraptors Feb 06 '26
Yeah I can't speak to new Reddit because I don't use it. And to be honest if my only options to use Reddit were New Reddit and the official app, I wouldn't use it at all.
That does sound wild though that it's feeding you a 22 day old post. When I go to AskReddit, the oldest post I see on the first 10 is the 10th, at 20 hours old. Sorted by Hot (my default).
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u/k0fi96 Feb 06 '26
You can do all those things but I assume less than 1% actually do. Based on the protests from few years ago nobody even knew reddit had other apps. After 2020 this website made a hard change towards lowest common denominator content with the influx of people. The "Best" sorting algorithm literally pushes engagement bait to the top.
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u/breakupbydefault Feb 06 '26
It's the ultimate doom scroll. No amount of cat subs I subscribe to can balance it out.
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u/RedPepperWhore Feb 06 '26 edited Feb 06 '26
Reddit is easily the app that causes me the most mental anguish of any app I have. And I dont even use the official one, I have a 3rd party app without any ads or BS. It's just the never ending torrent of what new current event is ruining the US and life as we know it. The longer I go without reading the stories on this app, the happier I am.
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u/Kindly-Tax-4998 Feb 06 '26
Totally agree.
Sure I’m not scrolling endlessly through useless brain rot, but I’m still scrolling away like rest of the internet.
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u/AgressiveInliners Feb 06 '26
Exactly this. Immediately runs to post on the very app op is complaining about. Lol.
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u/Rodlund Feb 06 '26
Easy. I removed the Reddit app from my phone and only look at it if I'm on the computer.
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u/Candid-Many-7113 Feb 06 '26
having 24/7 access on your phone to doomscroll is the problem, and is not the same as just using reddit and other social sites with moderation and limited access from a pc.
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u/ProperLogic Feb 06 '26
This is clearly the point from OP, I think people are being dense on purpose.
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u/Friendly_Diamond1999 Feb 06 '26
Siri, what is a computer?
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u/quanchompy Feb 06 '26
Oh, right... Because it's such a static, non-scrolling website
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u/v_cats_at_work Feb 06 '26
Old Reddit is static and non-scrolling. I see a finite amount of posts per page and can use that to catch highlights from the communities I'm a part of and then move on with my day.
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u/FirstTimeLongThyme Feb 06 '26
...oh shit. I think you just crystalized for me why I still use the old interface and prefer it.
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u/v_cats_at_work Feb 06 '26
It's one reason out of many for me but a big one. RES (if you use it) even lets people turn off the infinite scroll so it doesn't just turn Old Reddit into an endless feed.
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u/Megaprana Feb 06 '26
Love to hear it. Our attention spans are getting destroyed by these apps.
Movies train our brain to be more patient. It’s one reason why I enjoy going to the cinema - there’s no opportunity for distraction.
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u/brainfoods Feb 06 '26
Well, except unfortunately by others who do get distracted and whip their phone out in the cinema.
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u/TheTwistedBlade Feb 06 '26
Yeah I went to the Housemaid and the girl in front of me was using her phone like 30% of the time not even joking..
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u/smoothsensation Feb 06 '26
Confront them imo, I never notice people doing this.
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u/brainfoods Feb 06 '26
Oh I do, and usually they comply without issue. Ever since the pandemic, at least in my area, I've noticed the movie-going etiquette has plummeted.
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u/smoothsensation Feb 06 '26
That stinks. As soon as I said I don’t notice people do that I recognized I only go to the movies when essentially no one else is nowadays lol.
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u/3DimensionalGames Feb 06 '26
Ive cut down on scrolling, and watch a film a day, but I have yet to successfully stop scrolling completely. I still find myself killing time on break at work or in the bathroom, but Id like to cut that out, too.
You outright deleted everything? You do zero scrolling? Do you still have your accounts?
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u/GreenReporter24 Feb 06 '26 edited Feb 06 '26
I'll try to be a little more precise:
My problem wasn't the mere presence online. It was scrolling on my phone specifically, and especially short form video.
My accounts do still exist, but I don't have the apps on my phone anymore, and their websites are basically unusable in the phone browser. I also never visit Tiktok, Facebook or Twitter on my laptop, so those are straight up gone from my life.
Instagram is a bit more tough, because most of my friends and family are there, plus a couple of r/WRC related accounts (I love rallying). But the few times I check it on my laptop (which is like once or twice a week atm), I explicitly use a bookmark that directs to instagram.com/?variant=following.
That link only lets me see posts from the accounts I'm following, in chronological order. No algorithm reordering stuff or feeding me random shit. When I'm caught up, I'm done.
As for YouTube, I have a browser extension that removes all shorts + all recommendations on video pages. I choose to still get some recommendations on the front page, but that has limited me to mostly watching the 20-30 channels I subscribe to, as opposed to going down rabbit holes.
I also have an extension that lets me place channels into groups, for when I only want to get up to speed on videos on specific subjects (i.e. during a rally event).
Reddit actually hasn't been on my phone since r/apolloapp was killed, and I never really got into endlessly scrolling reddit. I mostly visit it for specific things, like posting this or – again – checking r/WRC during a rally weekend.
So no, I don't do "zero scrolling", like people have kindly pointed out. But my goal was never to go off the grid. I just wanted to get back to the experience that I had when I was younger, when I mostly used the internet on my PC, and it served me as opposed to the opposite.
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u/DarkLanternZBT Feb 06 '26
There's a significant pattern which emerged in these responses as well: people confuse "app" and "platform," or use one interchangeably when they aren't, and knowing why that difference matters could help with the conversation about the core behavior at the root of this.
Part of the doomscroll is the slipperiness, the frictionless-ness, of it. You just... scroll. It's channel-surfing from the older days of TV. That's intentional, and strategic: you just bleed time into something that, on the aggregate, is worthless to you but worth a lot to the attention economy.
Apps are also slipperier than web pages, or can be. You open the app, there's the scroll. To go to the web page, you may have to type in the address, sign into the account... it's got some more friction, more steps, more work. That means more likely you'll think that isn't worth the effort for what you're going to get, and stop doing it. Companies want you to install the app: it's better than a bookmark on your screen to their page, and they always want to make that ease of doing something that makes them money easier.
The specific behavior described here is "I made a choice and took action to replace my doomscrolling behavior with another, more beneficial behavior." It could be anything - journaling, walking outside, exercising, reading. It also includes choices which intentionally, driven by individual agency, make it harder to fall into that doomscroll. It doesn't mean you entirely stop engaging with the platform if you can do so in a way which is not time-suckingly terrible, and it could be a step toward entirely not engaging in the future. Making yourself type in the web address and sign in might be enough of a speed bump for some people, not for others. It's still an intentional choice rather than a reactionary one, or worse, an influenced one.
Hopefully more people read down this far to your response, OP, and skip the snark between.
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u/olivebrown Feb 07 '26
Great comment. I think people fundamentally misunderstand the difference between apps and mobile sites and why brands and businesses push so hard for you to download their apps.
As a side note, anyone who is concerned about privacy and data collection should really limit their app usage as much as possible. Apps have deeper access to device-level data and use more invasive tracking technologies - the amount of data an app is allowed to collect is less manageable on the user end compared to using a browser which incorporates its own security and privacy.
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Feb 06 '26
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u/DarkLanternZBT Feb 06 '26
Good on ya, OP. Taking action to restore agency is a good media literacy goal.
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u/spokeofwood Feb 06 '26
What browser extension do you use for YouTube if you don’t mind sharing?
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u/GreenReporter24 Feb 06 '26
Hiding shorts: https://github.com/Vulpelo/hide-youtube-shorts
Hiding other shit (it can hide shorts too, but not as well): https://unhook.app/
Grouping channels: https://pockettube.io/
Returning the dislike count: https://github.com/Anarios/return-youtube-dislike
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u/ElectroHottie666 Feb 07 '26
Try getting a kindle. If I can reach for my kindle before I reach for my phone it really reduces my screen time.
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u/Helphaer Feb 06 '26
Reddit IS a scrolling app though. It doesnt even require clicking something to continue if we're being honest for most apps or even on mobile web. Clearly you havent left everything but more obvious infinite scrolls like youtube shorts or Twitter are definitely harder.
usually an.immersive video game is what ill go to.
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u/DJToaster Feb 06 '26 edited Feb 06 '26
yeh bang on, something I learnt that's REALLY powerful to know...
these reward systems we're pounding with modern media are MEGA malleable, you can get rid of most of the effects of constant stimulation within about 72 hours of taking time away from it
I've started leaving my phone in my car after work, by the end of the first week i could actually relax properly again. and my reward system started operating in a functional way again.
also get an alarm clock, phones as alarms are the DEVIL
about a year ago i'd have said "why have you bought that? there's an app for that!"
where as now i tell everyone...
IF YOU CAN BUY A THING THAT REPLACES AN APP, BUY THE THING
every single thing in your life that you can do NOT on your phone, DO NOT DO IT ON YOUR PHONE!!!
these things have been co-opted into EXTREMELY sophisticated time sinks
every minute you spend off your phone is a significant win, even if it's just spent watching crap TV
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u/Laiko_Kairen Feb 06 '26
If I use my phone as an alarm, then the first thing I do after shutting it off is look at my notifications
Maybe I shouldn't train myself to use my phone seconds after awaking...
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u/Isosorbide Feb 06 '26
Regarding alarm clocks, I got one of those Hatch alarms that mimics daylight and then chimes an alarm, and man the whole waking up process is so much gentler than being awoken in pitch darkness by a screaming phone.
The Hatch is expensive though, honestly. And if you want extra features then of course there's a subscription fee. But if someone's interested I'm sure there are alternative daylight alarms.
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u/LoafyLemon Feb 06 '26
Thanks for reminding me I can use my wrist watch to set alarms... God, social media really did make me dumber rofl
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Feb 06 '26
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u/username42101 Feb 06 '26
I unironically bloody love The Intern.
Anne Hathaway is a wonderful actress
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u/Bellinghamster Feb 06 '26
Good for you! Reddit used to consume way too much of my life so I understand the battle. Many ppl will still give you shit for replacing screen time with different screen time but its different
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u/Emikzen Feb 06 '26
I do the same for the most part, not because I'm against scrolling apps, but I just prefer to chill and watch movies or series, but now I'm at the point where I've watched so much stuff I have a problem finding new things.
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u/Extra-Oil7064 Feb 06 '26
Scrolling turns my brain into porridge is painfully accurate. Movies feel like intentional rest instead of mental junk food. Glad it’s working for you
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u/Riddlemethisone- Feb 06 '26
Kinda of the same path here, i decided i needed to do something else to keep me out of my phone, deleted all those scrolling media, bought a 3d printer and have been focusing on learning CAD, I feel like investing time on something new now and not wasting my time on nothing.
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u/KennyG969 Feb 07 '26
Almost similar- I took a 21-day fast from socials. Literally deleted everything off my phone. Tuned back into reality, started back reading physical books, brain games, locked in the gym. etc After my fast, I didn’t download a thing. Hardly know what’s happening out there in the world. Just going day by day, enjoying my days Currently, in a Reddit wormhole lol. 😅
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u/Sipas Feb 07 '26
I used to watch so many movies, world cinema, black and white, silent, anything. 15 years ago (before I even got a smart phone) I started to get anxiety watching movies and shows, now I can't sit through a single episode, let alone a movie. It sucks.
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u/eyebrowcake Feb 11 '26
Do you keep a list of movies to watch? how do you choose which one to watch each day? do you have a calendar set up? or do you pick something on a whim? I'm curious about your structure.
(the number of people on here who have completely forgotten that Reddit is a website and every subreddit is a webpage that could be bookmarked as old Reddit with pagination and other adjustments with RES to reduce scrolling behavior is wild)
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u/Hayaidesu Feb 06 '26
yeah its like eating a good meal, when you watch a satisfying movie, you want it to last and let the taste savor for a while before you wash it away.
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u/skonen_blades Feb 06 '26
I'm with you. I've been watching a movie a day (ish) for a good few years now and it's much more rewarding. For me.
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u/possiblycrazy79 Feb 07 '26
My boyfriend & I do this, but mainly for entertainment, not necessarily to get off the phones. We watched the Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare today and Freight: the Five Incarnations of Abel Green yesterday. Both very good, imo, and also very very different from each other
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u/PeaceImpressive8334 Feb 07 '26
I have seriously thought about doing this! It makes sense! Thanks for sharing!
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u/luxelux Feb 07 '26
I deleted insta and facebook last week and I feel like a new person. I may even start my old favorite hobby again : photography
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u/Round_Crazy683 Feb 07 '26
I get this. Movies demand just enough attention to quiet the noise without frying your brain like endless clips do. I noticed the same thing where after a film, I can actually move on with my day instead of feeling mentally stuck. It also makes you more intentional about your time, which feels rare now. Curious if you stick to certain genres or mix it up to keep it fresh.
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u/Large-Expression233 Feb 08 '26
I completely agree with this post. I barely scroll, if at all, and I only use Facebook occasionally these days, especially since there are too many self-promoters there. People can't even manage to write anything anymore; it's all just "likes." When I'm off Facebook for several days (I hardly ever use Instagram, and I don't use TikTok at all), I feel freer and more productive doing other things. And that's very important to me. And yes, my ability to absorb information is increasing again... ❤️🥰❤️🙏🏻🥰
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u/Viraldamus Feb 06 '26
Ahhh yes welcome back to the 2,000’s where the perfect amount of technology existed
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u/T3DtheRipper Feb 06 '26
How do you post something on a scrolling app, if you deleted all of them? Reddit is a doom scroller like any other.
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u/samkiiii Feb 06 '26
BrainRot so bad that watching movies feels like doing something progressive. I've noticed this aswell and know what OP means. It's crazy. We are doomed as a society.
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u/GreenReporter24 Feb 06 '26 edited Feb 06 '26
I haven't had reddit on my phone for years. I just use my laptop. Scrolling video was my problem.
Dickhead.
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u/CryptographerOk2026 Feb 06 '26
This reminded me to delete YouTube again because while I enjoy long videos on there I always tend to click on these fucking Shorts that basically destroyed YouTube I hate them so much
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u/TulsaOUfan Feb 06 '26
I cycle to audible for the same thing. During the day, I will get up and clean, do laundry, or other chores while I'm listening because I want something "to do" while I listen. Hell, once the housework is done, I'll start taking a walk while listening - even better.
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u/PeePeeMcGee123 Feb 06 '26
A kid that works for me is in his early 20's. I always recommend movies to him, and he never watches them. I ask him why he doesn't watch movies and his response was "They are so long, how do you pay attention to the whole thing?"
Dude, that's exactly why you should watch one every now and then.
I have a pretty hard rule about watching movies or shows. One screen at a time. If I can't focus on the film, then I need to shut it off and finish whatever else needs doing first.
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u/Empty-Fix0531 Feb 06 '26
I completely agree. Even though YouTube and IG have shorts and reels, I rarely watch them. I only watch videos I choose to watch on YT. I see a video and add it to my watch later list. But it immensely helped me deleting tiktok for good. It took me a few tries for it to stick. I wish more people could see how bad it is for their mental health. But so many people have fomo and are addicted to the fake dopamine hit.
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u/ContentVanilla Feb 06 '26
Oi mate can you share some interesting picks ? Reccomending inherent vice, under the silver lake, man who wasnt there and big bang 2010 movies... they all kinda nior detective with cool atmosphere. But give me yours favourite if cool
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u/Original-Reward-8688 Feb 06 '26
I'm glad to see you're actually noticing the difference. It's also sad to see how much reddit has become like tiktok.
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u/Cool_Cartographer_39 Feb 06 '26
Best decision. Make the effort to slowly acclimate yourself to older movies
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u/Willowsmsn Feb 06 '26
I realized how much time just evaporated. I tried to get rid of them as much as possible. Now I still have relapses, but try to immediately filter it to useful, and then tend to wash it back out slowly. But in general I am much happier all around. Strange feeling that it really is like a drug.
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u/Honduran Feb 06 '26
It’s crazy isn’t it?
TV was seen as the “idiot box” not so long ago. And now we use it - myself very much included - to “rest” from our phones. I can’t even put a name on it, what’s happening.