One year later, some things will never change, including me.

My millennial son called me a ‘late-stage capitalist’ after I subscribed to several popular meditation apps. I was confused more than insulted. The meditation apps were for calming me down, if that was even possible. Was I really handing more money over to those avaricious tech bros, the ones attempting to turn every facet of life into digital dosh?

Apparently, I was. 

Late-stage capitalism, Jay explained, meant those apps offering me guided meditations on mindfulness were no different from the ones charging for frictionless restaurant delivery service, a lift to the airport, or blind dates with benefits. Mental health has been commodified. It too can be bought and sold over that late-stage capitalist candy store, the Internet.

To fight back, a little more than a year ago I embraced digital minimalism to curb my screen maximalism, also known as doom scrolling. It was my most serious attempt at reclaiming my attention and side-stepping the cash grab from Silicon Valley. 

I created this blog to share my experience, beginning with this: Something has to change. Turns out, I didn’t change much at all, at least not for long. 

True, it was my first attempt. And frankly, I’m not sure anyone could have kept their eyes away from their screens during the US Presidential election or the political implosion in the Canadian political scene in the first three months of 2025. There has also been the never-ending stream of news emanating from the Middle East. Perversely, I could not stay away from that noise either, even though in my ears, it has been two-years of hearing people chanting Kill. All. The. Jews. 

Turns out, my willpower and good intentions were not enough to make my change sustainable. Having an addictive personality hasn’t helped me either. And, like my dieting experiences, I could cut back on carbs or sodium for a few months but eventually, I craved something good to eat, even if it’s bad for me.

At least the food industry doesn’t bombard me with never-ending messages to erode my discipline. The same cannot be said for the puppet masters of our devices. Their engineers are working overtime to make their platforms even more addictive, foiling any reasonable attempts at digitally downsizing.

But I haven’t given up. Stay tuned.