Screenless Day discussion topic: September 2026
The Reboot!
I used to run a series of "Screenless Day" monthly posts that were aimed at nudging people to put a short pause on the toxic aspects of tech in their life. They never got much traction, but it was also hard to tell if people were participating because they wouldn't necessarily be here commenting on it and would instead be, you know, off doing other things.
There has been some renewed interest in the idea recently, so I decided to reboot the series and see how it goes now (especially because the wider tech landscape is arguably worse than it was back when I first started them).
The spirit of Screenless Day remains the same as it always has been:
a simple event aimed at encouraging people to take a temporary step away from toxic or consuming aspects of technology and spend their time and energies elsewhere
Anyone can choose to take a Screenless Day at any time, but the idea is to nudge people towards doing it over the first weekend of the month. Each new discussion topic will go live on the first Friday of the month, and it will remain open for the duration of the month.
It is strongly encouraged that you talk about your Screenless Day here, as part of the fun of the event is that, even though you might be doing something independently, your actions fit into a larger community picture of other people here sharing the same values.
Also, to promote both reflection and discussion on the goals of Screenless Day, each month I will be including a new discussion question to provide people the opportunity to reflect on their relationship with technology and keep the topic more “alive” and visible.
This Month
In addition to the once again regularly scheduled Screenless Day, there are a couple of housekeeping things for our first month back:
- Building a notification list.
I will be building a notification list to be pinged each time a monthly Screenless Day topic goes up. Anyone commenting in this topic will be included by default. If you do NOT want to be included in the list, please let me know in your comment.
- Changing the name?
"Screenless Day" can be a bit misleading (see the FAQ below), so I'm open to other name ideas. Everything I can come up with tends to sound negative however (e.g. "Pause Toxic Tech" day or something), and I want the name to be a simple but positive one.
Monthly Discussion
Use this topic to:
- Talk about your plans for an upcoming Screenless Day.
- Tell everyone what you chose to do for your Screenless Day, and how it went.
- Reflect on your relationship with technology.
This month's discussion question:
- Of all the tech you use in your life, what platform/app/device/etc do you feel has the most overall negative impact on you? Why do you think that is?
FAQ
What is a Screenless Day?
A "Screenless Day" is a simple event aimed at encouraging people to take a temporary step away from toxic or consuming aspects of technology and spend their time and energies elsewhere.
When is it?
A new discussion topic will go up on the first Friday of each month, with participants encouraged to make one of their days that weekend a "Screenless Day."
The topic remains open for the whole month, so people can choose to take Screenless Days whenever they like and talk about them in that month's discussion.
Does it have to be truly "screenless"?
"Screenless" is an ideal, not a mandate.
The spirit of the day is to deliberately step away from toxic or consuming aspects of technology, and what that means is different for each person. Thus, it is up to each participant to determine what "screenless" means to them. Some might only choose to not use social media for a day; some might choose to eliminate all "screens" but still use their ereader; some may maintain some screen use but only for necessity (e.g. work; classes; GPS; etc.). Some might get rid of screens entirely, or go fully "unplugged" for the day.
How do I participate?
You do not have to do anything formal at all to participate -- simply make your Screenless Day happen in whatever way is best for you!
If you’d like to, use this thread to share plans for your upcoming Screenless Day or summaries/reflections about it once it’s over.
Can I chat in this thread if I'm not doing a Screenless Day myself?
Yes! The more, the merrier! Discussion from anyone, participant or non-participant alike, is welcome. Though, do understand that it might take a bit longer than normal for some people to respond. :)
I'll be taking my Screenless Day tomorrow.
It should be a pretty simple setup: I've got an IRL book club meetup on Sunday to discuss a ~130,000 word novel that I have only just started. I've estimated my reading speed before and think it's roughly in the ballpark of 17K words per hour. So, my day is going to include lots of couch, bed, and/or hammock time (weather permitting) with my ereader for the 7+ hours of reading I'll need to finish the book.
I have a bad habit of idly opening my phone even when I'm reading, so I'm planning on putting my phone somewhere else for the day, with maybe a few designated breaks to check texts and whatnot (I'm thinking mealtimes?).
In thinking about this month's discussion question, I think, if I really hone in on what's an issue for me, it's novelty-seeking. I'll pull out my phone and open Google News not because something might have happened in the last hour (or, worse, minutes) since I did it before, but because when I do I at least get something new to look at. The same goes for like, video game and ebook deals. I have enough of those to last me for more than a lifetime already, but I like the idea of seeing sales happen even if I don't intend to buy anything. Why? Because they happen ALL the time which means there's always something new there when I look.
Even Tildes, for all the great things about it, scratches this unfortunate itch for me. I'll open the app and refresh the feed not because I'm planning on reading the comments or articles, but just to see if something new has been posted.
It's like my brain wants a constant dripfeed of freshness, and it's satisfied by the mere existence of something new rather than whether that new thing carries any sort of meaning or relevance.
The worst part of this is that I think it makes my appreciation of things even shallower. I'll start to watch a movie or read a book, and I'll get legitimately into it. Like, I'll want to keep going with it because it has genuinely hooked me. But for some reason, that also starts an itch to jump to a different book or a different movie. It's like, once I'm in the middle of it I get too familiar with it, and my brain needs the "new" and starts telling me I should jump ship (even though I know it'll be more satisfying to see whatever I'm currently in the middle of all the way through).
Long-term, I'd love to reduce the noise of that novelty seeking compulsion. It would be nice to be able to appreciate things more meaningfully and feel connected to them for longer periods of time.
This really hit home. I’ve also been finding that for movies or shows, I’ve been fast forwarding through slower bits, and for books I’m skimming a lot more than I ever have. Watching something with someone else is painful. Do you do anything similar?
Oh do I ever.
Movie gets a little boring? Check my email.
Book is starting to slog? Pull up the news and half-read both things at the same time.
Game has a cutscene? Play with my dog for the whole duration.
The last one sounds eminently healthy to me. I'm not a doctor, but I do have a dog, and that's what he says.
Seems like the newness is more the addictive nature for you, but I do want to comment that checking if something has new content (either email, social media, or texts) and it only has new content part of the time makes it more addicting. When there is not a guaranteed reward 100% of the time, psychologically it is more addicting than if there is a payout everytime
I'd be very keen for this. And it really makes a difference how much care and effort you take in organising events like this, and the wonderful questions you ask.
Thank you for being so great, kfwyre.
I remember that lovely reply you gave regarding organizing events on Tildes. It seemed odd to me at the time that you gave all this advice about having patience, and suggesting the prospective organizer pick topics that speak to them, that they're passionate about. And then you said, "I did these 'Screenless Days' things, and nobody seemed interested so I dropped it." It just seemed to fly against everything else you said.
I contemplated chiming in to say, "what does it matter if nobody else participates if you want to do it?" I'm glad you picked up my brainwaves and decided to give it another shot. I'm not occupationally capable of joining in this time I think, but I'll keep tabs on it.
I didn't intend it to come across that way, but now that you've pointed it out I can't see it any other way. XD
Thanks for the supportive brainwaves!
I'd be keen to give it a try! Thanks for taking the initiative kfwyre!
Thank you for this!
My day will be tomorrow, Saturday. I’m picking this day because I have a few things going on that helps make it easier :)
I’m in a much different place than the last time I participated. Something I couldn’t quite articulate then that I think I have a grasp on now, is that for a long time I’ve been incredibly uncomfortable in my own skin. Being in front of a screen distracts me from myself. It distracts me from an inner dialogue that in the past wasn’t very kind towards me. And it also lets me do the opposite, think about how shitty other people are. But that’s not what I’m wanting right now. I want to experience being more comfortable with myself.
Like I don’t really have hobbies, but I love walking. I live in a beautiful place, but I don’t like to go by myself because I don’t want to be with myself. So tomorrow, I drive someone to the airport, and have an hour and half drive back by myself starting at 10. My plan is to have no screen (phone, computer, tv) until 4 except for calls and texts. When I get home I’m going for a walk that will include our little downtown area, where I’ll get ice cream. At home I have some chores I’ve been putting off that I will at least look at and at least do one thing. I might even get out a pencil and sketch pad!
I guess that’s the plan, 10-4 spend time with myself. I’ll let you know how it goes :)
Edit: to answer the question, I think my phone has the most negative impact because it’s always with me, and I can always find a distraction. I don’t even think about it anymore! The tv is usually a conscious decision.
Screenless Day Notification: We have officially rebooted the series! I have started this new notification list with the people who mentioned interest in prior discussions.
Anyone who comments in this topic will automatically be added to this list for future notifications. If you do NOT want to be added to the list, simply let me know in your comment.
Notification List
@BeardyHat
@h3x
@monarda
Note: I had originally intended to post an announcement topic for this earlier in the week but it got away from me (beginning of the school year and all that). So, I figured we’d just do it live instead!
So I plan on participating on Monday, rather than over the weekend. The reason being that I am underemployed, but work a good chunk of the weekend so it would be relatively easy to do over the weekend.
I think my personal rules are going to be to avoid my computer and phone. I do have a dedicated Spotify streaming device that has a screen, but is limited to only browsing Spotify so using that will be fairgame.
I think the biggest negative impact is just my computer in general. I have a decent amount of freetime, so I try and entertain myself on my computer and do not consider other options. So being forced to find other things that I also enjoy will be good.