How to Save your Soul from Internet Addiction in an AI age

In a lullaby gone by I used to be me

More me

Then the AI came by, said hi

And took me by surprise

It delighted me with infinite dopamine highs

Delectable nuggets of insight

And lead me without questioning my inherent rights

I became a part of the hive

Many years later, one day, I looked around and stopped

In remembering myself

Slowly, I began to disconnect from the hive

AI became a tool, and no longer subsumed my mind

But it wasn’t without a fight

With time, I became more human, and once again

All mine.

“Compulsive thinking is addictive thinking, and it has occurred to me that many of us are addicted to the internet because it encourages our thought addiction.”

“Everyone has an inner need for stimulation and the internet quickly gives people a fix. This is bad however as it diminishes any internal motivation to do anything without the internet.”

Why do something when you can watch someone do it? Why go out with friends when the latest TV series is ready to stream? Why sharpen skills when reading articles about them is much easier? These people will be getting second-hand experiences, but they aren’t as rewarding as experiencing the work yourself.”

There was a time in your life when being calm and focused was easier.

A time when your mind was more still. Where the gaps between your thoughts were spaciously satisfying.

A time when you didn’t spend countless hours on the phone per day consuming. Or hours on the computer doing the same.

A time when your mind wasn’t bombarded with information.

A time when your life wasn’t stolen from you — right under your nose.

But now, you’re addicted to one of these devices or both.

You’re hooked.

And not only are you hooked, but you’re profitable.

Think of the advertising money you’ve helped people make with all the unhelpful YouTube videos you’ve watched.

That’s just a small example.

Don’t get me wrong.

You need the internet to read important information. To apply for jobs, reply to emails, do your online shopping etc.

But you can also do endless things that seem productive, but in reality, are not in balance.

A whole industry wants to keep you unaware and mindlessly glued to the AI news and entertainment screen.

Here’s some recommendations to counteract the momentum pull of the AI internet.

5 Ways to AI Proof your Phone

- No social media apps on phone (except Whatsapp/Messenger/Telegram)

- Removed distracting icons/put them in folders/hide them altogether. Use Aero launcher on Android.

- No Spotify on phone (another excuse to always use the phone)

- No banking apps on phone (use the sites or Bluestacks 5 launcher)

- Use a black and white colour scheme to make the phone less attractive (monochromacy)

5 Ways to AI Proof your Computer

- Use TTC (Todoist, Toggl, and Coldturkey)

- Write your tasks in Todoist and order them by priority

- Work in 1-hour blocks (1h online>1h offline) (Turn off Wifi for 1 hour for every hour spent on Wi-FI) (=Less EMF exposure)

- Every time you start a 1hour block, write what you’re going to work on in Toggl

- During your offline hour (BLOCK access to your browser and set the timer for one hour on Coldturkey)

And most importantly, reflect on this:

“How can I leverage the internet so that it serves me instead of controlling me?”

Get the short guide: ‘How to Live Meaningfully in a Digital Age’.