S1 C1-C2 MY ANALOG LIFE, OR THINGS I DO INSTEAD OF DOOMSCROLLING

in a microsecond lull in the action

during a very short pause in activity

commonplace

sth usual or happening often

to wean oneself off dopamine doomscrolling

to gradually stop the habit of seeking quick pleasure from scrolling

to look into craft projects

to explore or consider craft activities

to curb casual phone use

to reduce unnecessary phone use

to fall into the rabbit hole of swiping up

to become deeply involved in scrolling

to combat tech addiction

to fight an addiction to technology

to go cold turkey on doomscrolling

to stop doomscrolling abruptly and completely rather than gradually tapering off

sated with sth

fully satisfied with sth to the point of not wanting more

mentally corrosive

damaging to the mind over time

to cleanse one’s mind

to remove negative or unwanted thoughts

slop

low-quality or careless content

engulfed by AI ads

completely surrounded by AI-generated ads

spiral of addiction

a cycle where addiction becomes stronger over time

affiliate link

a link that gives sb money for promoting a product

fleeting trend

a trend that lasts for a very short time

achingly homogenized

made extremely similar in a way that feels repetitive

pristine books

books in perfect and clean condition

to shill expensive markers

to promote costly markers for personal gain

to commodify sth

to turn sth into a product for sale

to dissipate

to disappear or become less strong

gnawing compulsion

a strong and continuous urge

regurgitated into content

repeated or reused in content without new ideas

to baulk at the idea of friction-maxxing

to refuse or feel unwilling to accept the idea of adding difficulty on purpose

demented

mentally disturbed or extremely irrational

to bridle

to react with anger or resistance

inexorable march of big tech

the unstoppable progress of large technology companies

to take shortcuts

to use quicker and easier methods instead of full effort

superhuman feat

an action that requires extremely great ability

to fall back on google

to depend on google when facing difficulty

to outsource sth to apps

o completely hand over a specific process or repetitive function to apps so it runs automatically without your daily involvement

to offload sth to sb else

to temporarily transfer a process to another person to quickly lighten your immediate personal workload

to work round the clock

to work all day and night without stopping

headlong pursuit of convenience

a fast and careless effort to make life easier

devoid of contact

lacking human interaction

hunched over a screen

sitting with a bent body while looking at a screen

to remove drags on one’s time

to eliminate things that make one’s time use inefficient

to sift facts

to examine and sort information carefully

to cobble sth together

to do or make sth quickly and not very carefully

to scribble sth down

to write sth quickly and carelessly

force of habit

if you do sth out of force of habit, you do it without thinking because you have done it so many times before

menial work

simple, repetitive and low-skill work

integral to the thinking process

an essential part of thinking

to dislodge ai tools

to deliberately remove or stop using ai tools

laboriously

in a slow and effortful way

fixation with sth

an excessive and strong focus on sth

to extricate oneself from the endless churn of doomscrolling

to free oneself from constant and repeated negative scrolling

growing surge of interest in retreating away from an online world

an increasing interest in moving away from digital life

sth du jour

sth that is popular at the present time

paean to sth

a song, piece of writing, or film that expresses enthusiastic praise

to spawn a trend / commentary

to create or cause a trend or discussion

shrewdly

in a clever and strategic way

deeply enamoured of tech

having a strong love for technology

plugged in to new trends

closely connected to and aware of new trends

tech savvy

having good knowledge and skills in using technology

marker of luxury

a sign that show wealth or high status

to posit AI as a threat to erudition

to present AI as a danger to deep knowledge

identity-proclaiming accessory

an item that shows personal identity or style

aesthetic-signalling

showing taste or style through visible choices

to reclaim our brains from the quagmire of social media

to take back control of thinking from the confusing and overwhelming social media space

to espouse the rejection of social media

to publicly support not using social media

trappings of sth

the outward signs or features of sth

retaliation against cultural deterioration

an action taken to fight against cultural decline

shrinking cognitive functions

deteriorating mental abilities

overexposure to an online world

too much contact with digital environments

hindrance to progress

sth that slows down or blocks development

social marker

a sign that shows social status or group

gauche

lacking social awareness or good taste

to reminisce about sth

to think or talk about the past with pleasure

fiend for sth

a person with who likes sth very much

to yearn for sth

to feel a deep and strong desire for sth

to factor in sth

to include sth in thinking or planning

cash grab

an action done mainly to make money quickly

to switch out / swap out your smartphone for a dumb phone

to replace a smartphone with a simple phone

smartphone celibacy

a period of not using a smartphone

to cut out technology

to remove technology from daily life

to incessantly do sth

to do sth repeatedly without stopping

run-of-the-mill conversation

ordinary and not exciting conversation

to champion physical media

to strongly support physical media

to compartmentalize sth

to separate sth into distinct, isolated parts

to keep a device on you at all times

to always carry a device with you

to bounce between different visual stimuli

to quickly switch attention between visual inputs

fatigued with sth

feeling tired or frustrated with sth

resurgence of sth

a return or increase of sth after a decline

volatile

likely to change quickly and unpredictably

to perpetuate sth

to continue or keep sth going

aspirational content

content that shows an ideal lifestyle to admire

inklings of sth

small signs or early feelings of sth

to teeter into overconsumption

to be close to consuming too much

to tap into the desire to reclaim one’s time

to use or connect with the wish to take back control of time

insidious

spreading harm in a slow and hidden way

to facilitate sth

to make sth easier

backlash against sth

a strong negative reaction to sth

qualm

a feeling of doubt or worry about sth