Algorithmic Feeds
Algorithmic feeds are so messed up even when they're for the right things. The fact that you open TikTok/Twitter/YouTube and be exposed to so much attention grabbing content, can't help but read the title and captions is such a subtle form of slavery.
It is so messed up to me that I can't NOT read the titles of YouTube videos, or the captions of tweets. I literally can't avoid it. Then on TikTok after a few more minutes, I literally can't quit the app. I can hear my brain telling me to leave but I physically can't do it. HOW MESSED UP IS THAT???
Normally I don't watch TikTok or Reels, my main issue is YouTube. I thought that because the content I consume was long form engineering and tech content it doesn't count as a negative addiction.
But boy was I wrong. I would have so much work to go through but I'd spend hours watching YouTube. At some point it even became a game like "Let's see how many of these tabs I could close today" kind of game.
So I installed this extension (I'm on Zen Browser)
• https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-recommended-videos
The difference was so clear. I literally watched 10-15 times less videos when my feed was gone and I only searched and relied on my notifications.
Relying on the notifications also helped me curate what I actually cared about. I unsubscribed to so many channels, and only started getting notifications from a few I cared about.
Now it's an actual habit, I don't feel like I'm missing out at all. I started using that saved time on other useful things too.
Algorithmic feeds are so messed up even when they're for the right things. The fact that you open TikTok/Twitter/YouTube and be exposed to so much attention grabbing content, can't help but read the title and captions is such a subtle form of slavery.
It is so messed up to me that I can't NOT read the titles of YouTube videos, or the captions of tweets. I literally can't avoid it. Then on TikTok after a few more minutes, I literally can't quit the app. I can hear my brain telling me to leave but I physically can't do it. HOW MESSED UP IS THAT???
Normally I don't watch TikTok or Reels, my main issue is YouTube. I thought that because the content I consume was long form engineering and tech content it doesn't count as a negative addiction.
But boy was I wrong. I would have so much work to go through but I'd spend hours watching YouTube. At some point it even became a game like "Let's see how many of these tabs I could close today" kind of game.
So I installed this extension (I'm on Zen Browser)
• https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-recommended-videos
The difference was so clear. I literally watched 10-15 times less videos when my feed was gone and I only searched and relied on my notifications.
Relying on the notifications also helped me curate what I actually cared about. I unsubscribed to so many channels, and only started getting notifications from a few I cared about.
Now it's an actual habit, I don't feel like I'm missing out at all. I started using that saved time on other useful things too.
May 9
Do you know what other thing is such an attention thieve? — Notifications!
It was on day 1 of April that I turned all notifications off system wide. Probably top 3 best decisions I've made in April. I still have it off.
Normally it was on so I don't miss anything and I could be the first on site for whatever news or work stuff. Now I realize that not much is missing and infact everything you cared about needed no notification.
People think only posts are optimized for attention grabbing, you forget that notifications are made the same way too.
So remember to shut down all those notifications and only open an app when you want to. Opening an app has to be an active decision not an manipulated one.
Another amazing thing I did on mobile was use a launcher called Niagra Launcher. It was a minimal launcher that lets you set a few of your most used apps Infront and hides the rest in a search screen. So when you open your phone you literally have to look for the app you need instead of mindlessly open it out of habit.
Finally, remember to avoid social media or actually ration time for them. You do not need to be on Twitter in the morning and night, you can just check at the end of the day. Just try avoiding social media feeds as much as you possibly can.
It was on day 1 of April that I turned all notifications off system wide. Probably top 3 best decisions I've made in April. I still have it off.
Normally it was on so I don't miss anything and I could be the first on site for whatever news or work stuff. Now I realize that not much is missing and infact everything you cared about needed no notification.
People think only posts are optimized for attention grabbing, you forget that notifications are made the same way too.
So remember to shut down all those notifications and only open an app when you want to. Opening an app has to be an active decision not an manipulated one.
Another amazing thing I did on mobile was use a launcher called Niagra Launcher. It was a minimal launcher that lets you set a few of your most used apps Infront and hides the rest in a search screen. So when you open your phone you literally have to look for the app you need instead of mindlessly open it out of habit.
Finally, remember to avoid social media or actually ration time for them. You do not need to be on Twitter in the morning and night, you can just check at the end of the day. Just try avoiding social media feeds as much as you possibly can.
May 9
With my days spent having less digital time I quickly got bored. There wasn't much to do other than work.
So the best possible use of my time was reading books. All kinds of books. From spiritual to secular, from fiction to non-fiction, from short stories to long books.
I am a parallel reader, I don't wait until I complete one book instead I read multiple at once so I've progressed so much in all these books and more. So in April and up until today, I have been reading the most than any other month of my life.
The weird thing about books is that when you first start reading you think you're wasting time and getting a page done seems like the biggest task ever.
It is when you actually keep doing it that you become a fast reader and infact focus more on the meanings of the sentences and dive into the depth of the story instead of the pages and words.
Turns out you learn SO MUCH in a single book than weeks of scrolling online. What's also unique about this knowledge is that it remains in you. Reading a book is almost like getting knowledge tattooed into your mind.
Me and my closest friend were getting eachother books and challenged ourselves to read even more. And it was time spent beautifully.
Now every single night before I sleep, I read something, either a short story or continue one of the long ones. It has really been my favorite thing to do all this time. It sharpened my thoughts, and some even completely changed my perspective of the world. Which is what I've wanted. So yes, I recommend reading.
#Books
@Dagmawi_Babi
So the best possible use of my time was reading books. All kinds of books. From spiritual to secular, from fiction to non-fiction, from short stories to long books.
I am a parallel reader, I don't wait until I complete one book instead I read multiple at once so I've progressed so much in all these books and more. So in April and up until today, I have been reading the most than any other month of my life.
The weird thing about books is that when you first start reading you think you're wasting time and getting a page done seems like the biggest task ever.
It is when you actually keep doing it that you become a fast reader and infact focus more on the meanings of the sentences and dive into the depth of the story instead of the pages and words.
Turns out you learn SO MUCH in a single book than weeks of scrolling online. What's also unique about this knowledge is that it remains in you. Reading a book is almost like getting knowledge tattooed into your mind.
Me and my closest friend were getting eachother books and challenged ourselves to read even more. And it was time spent beautifully.
Now every single night before I sleep, I read something, either a short story or continue one of the long ones. It has really been my favorite thing to do all this time. It sharpened my thoughts, and some even completely changed my perspective of the world. Which is what I've wanted. So yes, I recommend reading.
#Books
@Dagmawi_Babi
May 9
May 9
Here is my 2025 Reading List
• https://whip-aluminum-d13.notion.site/Reading-List-Published-1eef7afd90a280918113eadab9ffbc1a
I will see how many of these I will cross of my list by next April and I'm sure there will be new ones in here and remove some of these.
#ReadingList #Books
@Dagmawi_Babi
• https://whip-aluminum-d13.notion.site/Reading-List-Published-1eef7afd90a280918113eadab9ffbc1a
I will see how many of these I will cross of my list by next April and I'm sure there will be new ones in here and remove some of these.
#ReadingList #Books
@Dagmawi_Babi
May 9
I can't stress this enough — the more you read and get comfortable with different styles of writings and story tellings, the more you appreciate the Bible.
Every single time I go back to reading a book in the Bible I get blown away by how it's not merely literature and how it surpasses in depth and story telling, in poetry and maturity than all of the books I read. It's honestly astounding.
Every single time I go back to reading a book in the Bible I get blown away by how it's not merely literature and how it surpasses in depth and story telling, in poetry and maturity than all of the books I read. It's honestly astounding.
May 9
Another thing I did in April is lose some connections and nurture existing ones.
Turns out even with being picky on who should be in my circle, I still made the mistake of overseeing some bad connections and conversations that were filled with frictions.
Honestly I'm too young to be in frictionfull connections, with friends who assume so much wrong about me and who decide to remain in the past.
So one by one, the moment I was aware of them, I talked to them and ended the connections. It's my life right? And one thing God tells us to do is to pick and choose who and what we surround ourselves with.
And I want a smaller circle of genuine friendships that pass merit, is tested with time, and is Christ based. Everything outside of this is not my friendship, we just know eachother or work together that's it.
Again this wasn't easy, specially when it's someone I hoped to keep, but good decisions are hard at times and after I've made them almost instantly it felt better, and my days healed.
So once again I recommend filtering through your circle, always going all in loving and supporting the genuine ones and being crule in cutting and ending the bad ones.
Turns out even with being picky on who should be in my circle, I still made the mistake of overseeing some bad connections and conversations that were filled with frictions.
Honestly I'm too young to be in frictionfull connections, with friends who assume so much wrong about me and who decide to remain in the past.
So one by one, the moment I was aware of them, I talked to them and ended the connections. It's my life right? And one thing God tells us to do is to pick and choose who and what we surround ourselves with.
And I want a smaller circle of genuine friendships that pass merit, is tested with time, and is Christ based. Everything outside of this is not my friendship, we just know eachother or work together that's it.
Again this wasn't easy, specially when it's someone I hoped to keep, but good decisions are hard at times and after I've made them almost instantly it felt better, and my days healed.
So once again I recommend filtering through your circle, always going all in loving and supporting the genuine ones and being crule in cutting and ending the bad ones.
May 9
That's enough updates for today. Hope this was wonderful and I hope you make the decision to take on some of these advices.
May 9
The fruits of good decisions don't grow instantly. Oftentimes it feels so bad, but be firm and give it time.
May 9
May 9
May 9
Good night ✨
"በፍጹም ልብህ በእግዚአብሔር ታመን፤ በራስህ ማስተዋል አትደገፍ፤ በመንገድህ ሁሉ እርሱን ዕወቅ፤ እርሱም ጐዳናህን ቀና ያደርገዋል። በራስህ አስተያየት ጠቢብ ነኝ አትበል፤ እግዚአብሔርን ፍራ፤ ከክፉም ራቅ።"
— ምሳሌ 3:5-7
#Scripture
@Dagmawi_Babi
"በፍጹም ልብህ በእግዚአብሔር ታመን፤ በራስህ ማስተዋል አትደገፍ፤ በመንገድህ ሁሉ እርሱን ዕወቅ፤ እርሱም ጐዳናህን ቀና ያደርገዋል። በራስህ አስተያየት ጠቢብ ነኝ አትበል፤ እግዚአብሔርን ፍራ፤ ከክፉም ራቅ።"
— ምሳሌ 3:5-7
#Scripture
@Dagmawi_Babi
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May 9