Life Without the Front Page

The blog post by Jesse Duffield discusses his decision to stop compulsively checking front pages and feeds like Hacker News and social media platforms. He realized that much of the content was not significantly beneficial and led to wasted time and dopamine hits. By implementing a rule to avoid front pages and feeds but still allowing targeted searches, he found a balance that reduced addiction and increased productivity. Jesse reflects on the importance of news and the dilemma of potentially being a free rider by not contributing to front-page views. He contemplates philosophical ideas like Kant's Universalizability Principle in relation to his individual choice. Jesse also touches on the addictiveness of social media platforms and the role of algorithms in enhancing addiction. Despite his decision to step back from front pages, he acknowledges the value of platforms like Hacker News in surfacing interesting content.