Digital Asceticism and Digital Intentionalism

19 May 2026 AEST

Problem Statement

I'm like many feel informational overload and constant unhappiness at the state of things. Being practical I searched for the root cause and possible solutions. Rather quickly I found out that the Internet itself is the source of that unhappiness.

But why? How can a thing that was so much fun when I was a teenager now be a source of displeasure? Could it be because developing the web is now my full-time job? But then I wouldn't be running a number of side projects for fun. Maybe people on the Internet are just toxic? But there've always been trolls. People are people, they never change.

Obviously I wasn't the first who discovered that the Internet, smartphones, and being online make you stressed. This is why there is so much talk about digital detox, quitting social media and limiting screen time. The problem is there and most people are aware of it.

Obvious Solution (and incorrect one)

Without thinking too deeply into the root cause, people just blame the Internet, smartphone and social media. They limit their access to regain happiness. That is the practice of Digital Asceticism. It's like a digital diet, where you limit your intake to prevent weight gain or to lose some.

This is especially hard for people whose work and livelihood depends on the Internet. This is where their workplace is. This is how they stay in touch with relatives and friends. Often this is where they want to spend their pastime and have fun.

It works for many, and it's practically impossible for some. But like with a real diet, it's really not only about limiting your intake. You should control what you consume and how you consume it.

Dissecting the Problem Deeper

How can it be that the Internet was so much fun when I was a teenager and much less fun now? I spent the same amount of time online back then (~full day) as I do now, but the amount of stress was way less. And it was actually fun.

In early 2000s, my time online was fully guided and controlled by me. I wanted to learn something and I would search for it (MSN / Google). I would read some articles, download videos to watch, visit a forum and leave some smart ass comment. I was fully in charge of my experience from start to finish.

I think things started changing when recommendation algorithms and infinite feeds appeared. They took away control over what we consume, deciding for us what is important. Being created with the single goal of generating never-ending engagement (and profit for owners). Now we hop from one recommendation to another, with algorithms behind manipulating and controlling us. In many ways they are like digital drugs. Made to cause addiction and result in mental issues. Take away control.

Taking Control Back

So about 3 months ago I decided to practice Digital Intentionalism. All my interactions on the web, must now be my own choice, my decision. Behind every interaction must be my own intent.

Oh boy, how good it felt and still feels. I ain't going back, I feel free. There is some friction, most platforms want me to consume them via recommendation algorithm. I can't use those that are accessible via algorithm only. But often there is an alternative.

I only watch my subscriptions on YouTube, which made me clean them up for the first time in 7-8 years. I only check my friends feed on Facebook, and "Following" tab on Threads. Apart from Youtube, I can consume nearly all daily updates in ~30-40 minutes.

I'm now also much more attentive to actual human recommendations. This allows me to find new interesting content without being recommendation algorithm slave.

But after about 2-2.5 months I noticed that my solution wasn't complete. I still was getting stressed from certain interactions. And now that I was so far into solving the issue, half measures couldn't satisfy me. I wanted to be free and intentional as much as I could.

Grandfather of Recommendation Algorithm

The thing that was making me upset was news checking. It's another sort of addictive digital behaviour. And while it's not an infinite feed, it is crafted in a way to cause emotional response and get you hooked. This results in opening news websites every couple of hours, just to check if something new happened. This creates revenue for news sites. But as most news is negative (because it sells better), this adds extra stress to you.

My first idea was what some people already do - just don't check any news at all! But I don't think that's a good approach. It is important to be informed and not to bury your head in the sand. I just needed to find a way to control how news affect me. So I started thinking back into the past. When people weren't that stressed about news, but still were informed?

Some people now consume news in real time. Some every couple of hours. Before we had 3-5 news casts on TV. Before it was morning and evening newspaper. Before that daily newspaper. And then finally weekly newspaper that was a gateway to the world for people who lived truly in their local communities.

So my solution for now is to only check news on Sunday. If something truly important happens, I always hear about it either from people around me or from people I follow on the web. The rest of the week I just don't check news, I wait for my "Sunday Newspaper". And so far it works well for me.

Is that a final solution?

The heck if I know. But it works for me, I'm happier, healthier and I have a lot more time. I haven't noticed any downsides yet. And it's a very pleasant feeling to be in control.

I know I'm not unique in digital stress problem, so I'm curious, how other people solved it for themselves? Are there any novel ideas I can use to make my digital life even better?

P.S. Thank you for reading my wall of text. I could have included some images, but bloody hell that is a stream of consciousness, not a sales page.