I pretentiously/foolishly like to think of myself as a slightly higher class of content consumer, because my media isn't algorithmically sourced; its 'high end', organically and ethically sourced from select artisanal hand-crafted subreddit queries or vote-curated headlines like HN.
Maybe it's not as big of a difference as I'd like to imagine.
Don't take it personally, but I won't remember your username after writing this comment. I think an addiction can be just as bad, but different type of platforms probably fill different wants and needs.
Although HN has its share of prominence as well.
this is exactly the kind of thing i appreciate. where if i’m taking the limited amount of time i have in my day, im choosing to browse through something, i don’t need decision fatigue on something like this. just recommend me the thing that you know works (and is pretty much the same as others that also work) so i can move on with my day.
someone recommending something doesn’t mean it’s somehow the only choice out there, it’s just curation. we could all use less decision fatigue, particularly if it’s one of those things where they’re all so similar to each other.
1. Has a "lock" tag next to my bad that scans when I place my phone down on my night stand
This disables all the apps on my phone that I consider distracting/harmful/etc.
2. Has an "unlock" tag that I scan next to the kitchen sink where I take my morning pill (could just as easily be in the bathroom for brushing my teeth etc).
This forces me to at least get out of bed before I can use time-sucking apps. It's a small thing, but baby steps is kinda what I was looking for, and it's noticeably decreased the number of days where I laze in bed for longer than I meant to in the morning. It's been ~2 months and still going well.
So we made a rule. Leave the phones elsewhere. Ever since we’ve been sleeping through the night.
For locking you out of apps based on time, location, or usage, Lock Me Out is really good. You can get most of what you need out of it without paying anything, which can't be said for a lot of the others. (Am I really going to pay a subscription for this? Yuck.)
I couple it with Olauncher, which also doesn't need a subscription.
I'm not affiliated with either, but just those that have worked well for me.
With some tweaks, I can even use it to maintain subscriptions to YouTube channels and social media feeds. It’s maybe a subtle distinction, but I feel like having a very prosaic, chronological list of posts/articles/videos promotes healthier habits for consuming them.
Now THERE's a business model. Hot damn.
You pay a subscription to kill your subscriptions whilst your in queue for your subscriptions to get more for your addictions...
If your smart enough to ask no. If your not gullible enough to have your action taken from you, no. If you're too childish to believe a habit is an addiction yes, if you're too stupid to know the difference yes, and if you're a fool you'll simply pay for the pro plus version.
On HN the snark is specifically frowned upon. From the Guidelines:
> Be kind. Don't be snarky. Converse curiously; don't cross-examine. Edit out swipes.
As someone that doesn't pay a dime for news, this sort of article leaves me pretty content with my investment.
In short publications that supplemented with advertising out-competed the alternatives that took a larger fee. Blame price sensitive customers' willingness to pay, not the publications.
What a weird take.
Either way, if there's too many ads in a paid publication, don't subscribe to it.