About
This Substack newsletter is no longer updated but feel free to rummage through the Archive, as well as the blog for ideas on spending less time online and (re)discovering the pleasures of the offline world.
Ciao,
Mehret
In 2016, a friend sent me an article that confirmed an inkling I haven’t been able to shake off since I made my first attempt to leave social media back in 2011 when I deleted Facebook: My smartphone, social media, and the internet were conspiring in perfect harmony to take advantage of my human weaknesses to ensure my constant attention. I literally could not look away from the screens. I couldn’t get away from Twitter for more than a few minutes, Tumblr kept me up all night, and all my experiences were filtered through the question of how can I best capture this moment to impress the human avatars?
I assume you are here because you understand.
I don’t write to convince you or anyone else of the merits of spending as little time as possible trudging through the noises of the internet, though the Internet can be useful.
I write to celebrate what these past seven years spent chasing raw reality have taught me; It is still very much possible to live in the real, analog world, and it is an absolute pleasure.
Reality is indifferent to the scrolling habits of the masses. She’s here in all her glory for the taking; ready to reward anyone daring to choose her with her infinite pleasures. It helps I’m not on social media, I have turned my smartphone into a dumb phone, and I don’t follow the news either. It definitely helps— Some games you can only win by not playing, but it is not a requirement.
time spent offline is a personal journey, a revolution for one.
time spent offline the Substack newsletter and its weekly dispatch are a guide for how to remain human in a world of avatars, apps, and other digital traps; to choose IRL over URL, to find solace in reality from my years of adventure plugging/unplugging, connecting/disconnecting, learning/unlearning.
Every Tuesday, I send out five ideas on all things related to spending less time online and (re)discovering the joys of the offline world.
Below is an outline of the five ideas I share every week:
A blog post by me.
Random, but related stuff.
A “quote.”
An article from around the web.
A question/challenge for you.
You can read the full archive here and other posts as they are published.
