Last Updated: 11.29.2018
Archive
N/A
The online world exists in expanses unknown previous to the digital revolution.
In an unabated rush to provide these boundless networks with increasingly niche content, the point of moderation was obfuscated in full.
Today's digital sphere is plagued with dopamine design, a perverse landscape occupied with developers re-working brain chemistry to drive ad revenue.
As less room for oneself becomes available online, it becomes imperative to reclaim your experience in these spaces; for as much as social media platforms have to offer, the detriments become insurmountable the moment one loses control of their own access.
Speed Bump aims to become an index of resources for digital self-care. Found below are curated tools to take the wheel, compiled in hope to allow a digital life that no longer usurps the time and attention of every participant.
-------------------------
Table of Contents
Mobile
01. App Limits (iOS)
02. Site Blocking
03. Display Accomodations
Not Mobile
04. Bandwidth Throttling
05. Ad-Block, For Real
06. Anti-Feed Extensions
Beta
07. Hands-Free Instagram
08. Remote Tweeting
So...
9. A Summated Manifesto
-------------------------
01. App Limits (iOS)
With iOS 12, Apple finally took a step towards reigning in the excessive over-use of their devices.
Where most developers do the inverse in ensuring constant engagement, Apple's native implementation of limitation tools is a step in the correct direction.
While this is no hidden feature, its function is likely to be pegged as novelty rather than a valid tool for one's digital health.
Using the "Screen Time" tool is simple; navigate to the Settings application, and one will find a button on the main menu for "Screen Time." From there, limits can be set for individual apps, as well as schedule periods of downtime in which only specifically marked apps will be available for use.
One Step Further: While Screen Time provides native tools that had not existed prior, it still falls back upon one's self discipline; a simple push of the "15 More Minutes" option suspends the users set limits, and the function quickly becomes a mild inconvienence rather than a valid blockade. One can, however, set a password required to allow use beyond the standard limits, and it is recommended that this password is set by a friend or close acquaintance to eliminate the flaw's of one's own self control.
-------------------------
02. Site Blocking
The digital world is driven by an inversion to any moments of inhibition. As scoffable as it may sound, implementing parental controls upon one's self is a powerful tool toward a mindful use of the internet. On mobile devices, every marketplace has an array of applications that allow the user to block specified sites; creating these digital blockades prevents immediate access to the designated platforms, as well as reminding the user that there is a reason for which they are working to create space between themselves and their Twitter timeline.
Flipd is a leading app for these purposes. Even the diction on the official website is sure to mention mindfulness repeatedly, and as perverse as using an app to block other apps and sites may sound, the benefit far outweighs the irony.
One can also restrict access to selected websites natively on iOS, although this function is less adaptable. To do so, select "Settings" -> "Screen Time" -> "Content & Privacy Restrictions." From there, the user toggles the "Enable Restrictions" option, scrolling to "Content Restrictions," and "Web Content" within that. In this native tool, one must first turn on "Limit Adult Websites." While this automatically blocks porn, it seems safe to assume that such sites are equally distracting as social media. Once this option is turned on, users can enter specific websites in the "Never Allow" form, triggering an error message when the specified sites are accessed through Safari.
-------------------------
03. Display Accomodations
Remaining in-line with the more brutal approach to limiting one's time online and on phone, iOS' native Display Accomodations provides its utility in making one's phone too abrasive to use. By switching one's color display settings to black and white, platforms like Instagram immediately lose appeal as the images are served in a manner largely reduced from their intended form. One step further, an inverted display fills the screen with garish tones sure to put a cap on how often one absentmindedly scrolls through the abyss.
To access these settings, follow this path of navigation: "Settings" -> "General" -> "Accessibility" -> "Display Accomodations." From here, users can toggle between color inversions and filters, essentially searching for the ugliest, most abrasive setting available.
Note: While similar settings are sure to exist on most operating systems, the process above is intended for iOS users, specifically those using iOS 12.
-------------------------
04. Bandwidth Throttling
In a sphere so geared for uninterrupted use, the immediacy of information can be perceived as paramount. However, what if intentionally limiting speed provided more benefit than instantaneous connection?
In limiting one's internet speed, the economy of time comes into question. Tangential web explorations now require wait times of their own, and as the user stares at their browser's loading icon, one can hope that they are reminded of the finite nature and value of their time.
Instating these limitations requires no extensive knowledge of any back-end processes. For Chrome users, web speeds can be adjusted in a handful of clicks.
For Google Chrome:
Starting at the main menu bar, mouse-over the "Developer" expansion option in the "View" tab of the applications top bar.
From there, select "Developer Tools; this should open a set of tools on the right side of the browser.
Looking once again to the top bar of this panel, select "Network."
Now, looking two rows down, there should be an option reading "Online," complete with an arrow next to it.
Clicking this arrow will expand the throttling options; while there is the space to create custom settings, selecting the "Slow 3G" option generally works best. Once selected, simply close the Developer Tools with the "X" in the top right of the panel.
Note:
Later in this index, there is a tool that automates this process. While the tool has been tested and found functional, this process is still a quick way to bring time economy back into the mindful use of web.
-------------------------
05. Ad-Block, For Real
Advertisement-blocking extensions are no secret; it's hard to imagine a user who has no interest in removing the obnoxious marketing from the sidebars of their frequented sites. Still, it would be a disservice to not include mention of this tool. In the context of "mindful web," there are a myriad of benefits.
Primarily, ad-blocking saves time. Seemingly in contradiction to the comments on time economy above, ad-blockers approach efficiency from a simple and effective angle: here, one can reclaim their time and agency by freeing up this time and attention, inverse to the above use of bandwidth throttling to limit access to distractions.
-------------------------
06. Anti-Feed Extensions
Beyond ad-blocking extensions, these smoothly integrated add-on applications provide a range of uses for those working to establish a healthier relationship with their social media use.
Regrettably, many creative fields necessitate an online presence. Speifically with apps such as Instagram, users who post frequently recieve priority treatment in the current non-chronological timelines of their followers. Functions like this resist qualification as anything other than malovolent; creating a platform that prioritizes its most "plugged in" users only encourages excessive use as a means to chase relevance.
One's hands, however, need not be fully tied. What if there were a way to deliver to social media without receiving? A way to "drop off" posts without being sucked into the vortex of endless scrolling? These extensions exist.
This tool, for example, allows one to hide all timelines on Twitter; users can still post, check notificaitons, and stay on top of direct messages, but the pull of the feed is removed. Here exists another such tool, this time built to strip Facebook of its alluring newsfeed. Yet another application of similar use is DF Tube. This YouTube-oriented extension provides a range of options, including hiding the home page feed, removing suggested videos, and similar options to retain intention in viewing videos.
As small as these suggestions may seem indepedently, it is in their combined power that one can reclaim time and attention.
-------------------------
07. Hands-Free IG
In considering the positives and negatives of social media platforms, Instagram is one of the toughest to evaluate. It can be a powerful platform to network with; in the creative fields, Instagram often handles the functionalities that other industries use LinkedIn for.
As much as deleting the app and reducing one's presence can serve to reclaim time, it can also hinder communication with potential friends, collaborators, etc.
To tackle this, SPEEDBUMP has developed a proprietary application for Mac OSX. The app allows one to "drop off" content with having to interact with the gravitational pulll of the timeline. Upon dropping a photo into the specified folder, the user is prompted with an option to input a caption; once this form is completed, the user can step away while the program uploads the image and closes the website.
Full directions are packaged with the download,available here.
Note: This program is in beta mode; while it has been tested and confirmed functional on various models of Mac computer, there may still be errors when run on certain machines.
-------------------------
08. Remote Tweeting
In much the same vein as the above photo tool, there was a need for a similar mechanism through which Twitter can be accessed remotely. Online spaces are endless to a detriment; Aza Raskin, the software engineer responsible for the now-ubiquitous endless scroll functionality,even regrets the way his creation has commandeered the lives of the masses.
While a dogmatic approach to "logging off" would certainly scoff at these half measures, pragmatism may necessitate an online presence inseparable from one's livelihood.
With this utility, tweets can be posted through a bare-bones form, once again creating a delivery system that retains distance from the ever-scrolling home feed. This certainly removes any "social" aspect from its "media" companion, but for many, retaining presence through output suffices in creatin a benevolent relationship with the platform and its reach.
Included in this ZIP is the program and instructions for use. While successful in a myriad of tests, this program is still certainly in its beta stages; while it is wholey innocuous, certain screen sizes and operating systems may provide difficult for the software to navigate. Please feel free to report any and all errors to the email at bottom right, and we will work to de-bug the software.
-------------------------
09. A Summated Manifesto
In none of the above information is there an intent to qualify all technology as inherently harmful. The aforementioned mission and provided strategies are only needed because these platforms have perhaps exceeded beyond benefit; there is still just as certain a constructive use for them, and Speed Bump's presence is predicated on an ever-evolving mission to obtain that balance.
That being said, there is an absolute necessity to be aware of one's interactions within digital space. As perverse as the label seems, social media in particular can become a quasi-hedonistic outlet for many; at that point of use, assuming a base level of intended professionalism and image, those spaces become toxic. Without falling upon an abundance of cliches to emphasize the value of time, the power of finding control over one's days, and effectively their lives, is undoubtedly critical to the human experience.
We don't mean to make ourselves out as the heros, but if each reader can walk away with one new tool in their arsenal, Speed Bump has met its goal.
-------------------------
Now go outside.