I think that’s bit extreme. I prefer to instead look for where I’m dependent/addicted and make corrections instead of avoid anything that could be addicting. For example:
I found I spent way too much time on Facebook, so I deleted my account and switched to Reddit as a lurker (eventually made an account)
I didn’t like how much I depended on Windows, so I switched to Linux
I found I was too emotionally attached to the news, so I stopped reading/watching it; Reddit helped because I was about to subscribe to only the types of news stories I was interested in (mostly tech)
I found I used Reddit too much and didn’t like the changes they were making, so I switched to lemmy
And so on. Here’s my tech stack:
laptop and gaming desktop - openSUSE Tumbleweed
phone - cheap moto phone, will switch to Pixel soon to switch to GrapheneOS
home Internet - 50/10 Internet that’s reasonably inexpensive; I’ve largely solved the endless searching problem by getting into hobbies (reading, writing, video games, cycling)
TVs - one smart TV and another “dumb” TV; I kinda hate the smart TV and use a raspberry pi for the “dumb” TV for streaming services
streaming services - Disney+ (kids) and Netflix (wife and kids); I used to be kinda addicted to Netflix, but I did some introspection and decided I don’t really like their shows anyway, so I’ll only watch like 1-2 series in a given year
consoles - switch and steam deck
In other words, I’ve found I can effectively detect and control my behavior. I still spend way too much time on things that don’t matter, but I did that as well as a kid without a phone or consistent Internet access (we had dialup), so I don’t think cutting things out is the solution.
My process is to set aside time to review how I spend my time at least once each year, and I’ll review my phone apps more frequently (about every other month). My phone’s launcher only shows 8 apps:
text messaging (no phone app, I rarely make calls)
bank app
browser
lemmy app - by far my biggest time suck these days, I may need to remove it from the list
maps
calculator
YouTube app - actually newpipe; only shows updates from subscriptions, so no recommendations
Libby for audiobooks
That’s it. If I want something else, I have to go look for it, and I rarely do that.
When it comes to AI, I really don’t have much exposure to it. I buy video games based on recommendations from people, not web services, and I generally only play single player games without microtransactions. I only open a streaming service if I already know what I want to watch. And so on.
This works for me, so I remain pretty connected, but in a controlled way. If you want to try it, set aside time to do some introspection on why you’re doing the things you do. Are you mindlessly scrolling because you’re bored? Try a hobby so you have something you’re excited about! Do you find yourself in stupid arguments on SM? Set aside a fixed time each day to use SM (there are apps that disable apps after a certain amount of time spent).