Nature vs nurturing my pull to refresh finger

You’re probably aware of pull-to-refresh on iOS (and Android?). Originally pioneered by Tweetie for iOS (RIP), many apps now use the gesture to reload a feed or website. It’s a nice, simple interaction with your phone. Pull down with your thumb or finger, and the app refreshes, giving new content and a fresh hit of dopamine. I pull to refresh on Bluesky, Mastodon, Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, Safari, Reeder (RSS reader), and by the time I’m done there will be new content on one of them, so I repeat the cycle, and again, and again... As I write this, I got distracted by the news after checking that pull-to-refresh was a feature on Safari.

sigh

What did I ever do before pull-to-refresh? Cmd-R-to-refresh. I remember being on IRC 20 years ago and having the same conversation about how we would rotate through websites to see what was new. The problem here isn’t the tool, it’s me. I knew 20 years ago that I had a craving for fresh content in the way I craved just one more Pringle. Addiction? It feels like it’s verging on that, but I always find a way to be OK with it. “I need these apps for work.” Do I need to be using them all day, though?

As I’ve learnt more about ADHD and dopamine, I have come to realise just how distracting these apps are. They’re always in reach with something new to chew on. I try and try to find ways to block them, but then I find ways around that. Currently, my social media apps are locked away in iOS’s “Hidden” folder, so it’s just a bit harder to get access to them, but I’m still using them. I know of writers who have uninstalled Safari from their writing devices, which seems extreme but makes sense.

Single use devices could be the way forward? An e-ink RSS reader? A Steamdeck instead of a Mac for gaming? Noble ideas but they all cost money and I already have a phone and laptop which give me access to the games and feeds I want to consume. I can’t afford new toys, but the current ones offer too many distractions.

What if finding ways to hack technology isn’t the answer? What if getting away from it is? What if the dopamine I’m getting from consuming content is as bad as the dopamine I get from consuming sugar? Sure, the rush is good and gives me energy, but sugar is bad for you. Is there a healthier way of getting these hits, the energy boost? Cold water swimming/showers do it, but it’s far easier to refresh Bluesky than hop into a cold shower. Part of me wonders if getting out into nature more often could provide a healthier baseline level of dopamine that would help me avoid distracting apps.

Imagine. A morning walk with a camera instead of a camera phone. Back home for a cuppa, photo edit and email check in the yard with bird song giving me focus for the day ahead without the craving for something more. Powered by seeing the world on my doorstep rather than the world through an app. Except I live in the UK, where it’s either cold and rainy, or sunny, and neither is good for using a computer outdoors.

For now, I will try because at least I’ve had a wander. I’ll use the app Bearable to log times when I walk, social media use and how I feel. Maybe it’ll work, or maybe I keep on refreshing for dopamine.

Links

• Swirling Green Aurora Captured From the ISS. I don’t have a whole lot to say about this video except wow. Wow wow.
• When Skirts Went to Battle: Scottish Soldiers in WWI. Before heading to the front lines of World War I, these men took a moment to toss each other into the air with a large piece of cloth. Scottish soldiers in kilts, England, 1915. 📸 Anonymous, via Wikimedia Commons
• Screen KIN Online - Project Art Works. Enjoy screening KIN online and access resources gathered by the Support Collective specifically to for siblings of adults and children with complex needs.
• Wearing Skirts and Heels Made Me Question My Gender. I have heard from a number of men whose interest in wearing skirts has led to them questioning their gender. This is my own experience.
• Chongqing, the world’s largest city – in pictures. The largest city in the world is as big as Austria, but few people have ever heard of it. The megacity of 34 million people in central of China is the emblem of the fastest urban revolution on the planet. The Communist party decided 30 years ago to unify and populate vast rural areas, an experiment that has become a symbol of the Chinese ability to reshape the world
• Watching o3 guess a photo’s location is surreal, dystopian and wildly entertaining. Watching OpenAI’s new o3 model guess where a photo was taken is one of those moments where decades of science fiction suddenly come to life.