Cybernews podcast #22: ditching Chrome and other tech resolutions for 2024

Our devices can steal our sleep and concentration, strip us of privacy, and drain our wallets.

In this week’s episode, the Cybernews crew is diving into tech resolutions and looking into ways we can do a digital detox, reclaim our privacy online, and save some money.

Digital detox

We all have (or are) that one friend who is absent while physically being next to you – the one who constantly keeps checking their phone for any new messages or posts on social media.

Clinging onto devices too much can become a disease that affects your sleep, makes you anxious, and experience the fear of missing out, among other things.

No one’s asking you to give up on your devices, that’s not realistic. First, track your usage and decide whether you have a problem. If you do, we’ve prepared a digital detox guide to help you find relief from devices while not ditching them altogether.

There’s one thing, we believe, you should ditch though – mindless scrolling through social media. Why don’t you start your detox by deleting social media apps from your phone, leaving you the ability to only check those accounts when you’re at your computer?

Ditching Chrome

“My promise for this year is ditching Chrome,” Ernestas Naprys, a senior journalist at Cybernews, said.

Why?

“Because of all the tracking and all the cookies, all the third party stuff they put into it.”

Naprys is relentless when it comes to safeguarding his privacy, and I suggest you follow him for advice on how to get your digital life back, and make it more private and secure. He’s already successfully got rid of all the tailored ads. How do we know he succeeded?

“I saw an ad for a tampon,” Ernestas laughed.

Get rid of subscriptions

Can you name how many and what subscriptions you have? Many people can’t do that. Did you know that there’s a discrepancy of about $150 between what people believe they spend and what they actually spend on digital subscriptions?

“It's not like the Great Depression. But if you need to save money, you do it by refusing, cancelling stuff that you don't actually need. How much of that content will you actually consume?” Gintaras Radauskas, a senior journalist at Cybernews, said.

While he has 15-20 subscriptions, many people in the US have 50-60 accounts, many long forgotten about.

First, you’ll need to make a list of your subscriptions. Are there any you might have forgotten about? There are certain apps to help you out with this accounting problem.

For more advice tune in to the podcast, which will be coming your way every week from now on.