I Screen, You Screen, We All Screen

April 11, 2025

TGIF, friends! Welcome to this week's edition of Ondo Project, where tech innovation meets wellness.

Sometimes our most profound revelations about technology come not from using more of it, but from using less.

After my transformative trip to Bali, I've been reflecting on how that intentional digital break has continued to influence my daily habits. The numbers don't lie - and today, I'm sharing my own screen time data in the spirit of transparency that I believe needs to be central to our tech conversations.

The Post-Bali Screen Time Reality

Remember that feeling after a vacation when you're determined to hold onto the peace you found? That's been my digital reality since returning from Bali:

• My weekly average screen time has dropped to 1 hour 8 minutes daily (down 39% from last week)

• Social media usage: 1 hour 10 minutes (down considerably)

• Productivity & Finance apps: 1 hour

• Health & Fitness: 30 minutes

What's particularly fascinating is what's missing from these numbers - Instagram. After years of averaging 2-4 hours weekly on the platform, that time has virtually disappeared from my digital footprint.

The Books That Changed My Relationship with Screens

Two recent reads have profoundly shifted my perspective on social media:

"Careless People" by Sarah Wynn Williams: As a former Meta employee, Williams provides an insider's view of how these platforms are designed to capture and monetize our attention. Her revelations about data practices left me deeply uncomfortable about my own digital footprint.

"Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now" by Jaron Lanier: This provocative manifesto articulates many concerns I've felt intuitively but couldn't quite articulate. Lanier's perspective on how these platforms modify behavior hit particularly close to home.

Both books reinforced what I experienced in Bali – that there's a direct correlation between reduced screen time and increased mental clarity, creativity, and presence.

The Verified Experience: Was It Worth It?

In the spirit of experimentation (and professional curiosity), I recently did something I'd never done before – I paid for a verified Instagram account. My reasoning? I wanted to understand the algorithmic benefits and changes from a user experience perspective.

The results were... underwhelming.

• The verification process required uploading my government ID for every profile photo change (a privacy concern that immediately raised red flags)

• Algorithmic benefits were minimal at best

• The monthly recurring charge continued even after I deleted the app (thanks Apple for prompting me to keep or delete my subscription upon deletion)

• Most importantly, the "blue check" did nothing to enhance the quality of my experience or relationships on the platform

I do think there is value in having a verified persona on the internet. If everyone paid for access to an instagram account, then the users would be the customers. Today, free users give their data which becomes the product sold to the real customers - advertisers.

The Screen Time Paradox

One unexpected revelation from my recent digital diet: our selective blindness about what constitutes "social media." During a recent conversation at work, I mentioned social media usage, and a colleague responded, "I don't use social media."

Later that same day, they commented on my LinkedIn post.

When I pointed this out, they replied, "Oh, I don't think of LinkedIn as social media."

This exchange perfectly captures our compartmentalized relationship with screens. We're quick to distance ourselves from "social media addiction" while simultaneously maintaining profiles across multiple platforms – each serving different purposes in our professional and personal lives:

• LinkedIn: The "professional" social network (that somehow doesn't count)

• Medium: Where I spend a surprising 1 hour 14 minutes weekly (my highest app usage)

• Messages: 53 minutes weekly (digital communication we rarely count as "screen time")

• Practice Better: My nutrition app (28 minutes of logging my meals and fitness)

• Bluesky: My newest experiment at just 10 minutes weekly

The Meta Data Question

Perhaps the most profound realization from deleting Instagram wasn't about time saved but about data autonomy. While I haven't deactivated my account or deleted 13 years of accumulated content, removing the app created immediate space to question:

• What exactly is Meta doing with my government ID uploads?

• Is the convenience of these platforms worth the privacy tradeoff?

• How much of my digital identity exists beyond my control?

• Will this impact my social standing? Do I matter offline if I’m not important online?

I don't have definitive answers, but I'm increasingly convinced that asking these questions matters. When tech wellness expert Leila Gharani says, "The first step to digital autonomy is conscious digital consumption," I feel that truth deeply.

My Current Digital Wellness Practice

After tracking my usage patterns and noting how they affect my well-being, here's my evolving approach:

1. App-Free Periods

Rather than completely disconnecting, I'm strategically removing the most problematic apps from my phone while retaining access through desktop browsers when necessary. I haven’t had any of my work apps on my phone since I went to Bali in mid February.

2. Category Awareness

I'm paying closer attention to my usage categories. The data shows I'm spending more time on health, fitness, information, and reading apps (1h 18m, 1h 16m) than social media – a ratio I'm working to maintain.

3. Content Creation vs. Consumption

I'm distinguishing between active and passive screen time. Creating content for Ondo Project, editing my YouTube vlog, or writing in my digital journal feels fundamentally different from mindless scrolling.

4. Daily Pickups Metric

Beyond total hours, I'm tracking my daily phone pickups (averaging 33 daily, with 53 on Wednesday – my highest day, correlating to my longest day in the office). Each pickup represents a potential interruption to flow and presence.

5. Medium Over Meta

I'm consciously shifting reading time to platforms like Medium that feel more intentional and less exploitative of attention.

What About You?

I believe strongly that our relationship with technology should be intentional rather than habitual. That said, I have no intention of becoming a digital hermit – these tools remain powerful when used mindfully. I love technology. I just want to use technology more than it uses me.

I'm curious – have you ever tracked your screen time metrics? Were you surprised by what you discovered? Have you experimented with removing certain apps, and if so, what changed?

Reply to this email with your thoughts—I read every response :)

Until next week, may you find your own moments of "ondo" in the midst of our digital world.

Be well,
Maddy

P.S. A small tech tip inspired by my screen time experiment: Try the "grayscale" setting on your phone (found in Accessibility settings). Removing color from your screen significantly reduces its dopamine-triggering appeal while maintaining functionality.

Currently reading: Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport. A thoughtful exploration of intentional technology use that's building nicely on my recent experiences.