What do most normal people do on their phones to pass the time?

@treadful@lemmy.zip 2026-05-09 04:25

Recently I watched a guy in a movie theater before the movie started fiddling with his phone. In rapid fire, he was scrolling Instagram, liking things and stopping on hot ladies. Switch over to facebook and quick scroll that. Send a link to a friend. Then doomscroll reddit. I don’t think he stopped to read a thing beyond the headline except for boobs.

Open ##2625544

@WongKaKui@piefed.ca 2026-05-09 04:20

Me: Open Maps Stare at it Mentally think to my self this is my life now (say, I’m waiting at an appointment for something) Press home buttom Open App list Scroll up and down To back to home page STARE at it, pretending I’m busy doing something Oh shit maybe I should actually do something Realize I actually haven’t taken the time to download anything beforehand Downloads Lichess Actually I wanna just browse wikipedia Find an article for what stuff I have on my mind STARE at it, pretending I’m reading an ebook Actually I can’t focus, home screen again Opens the notes app blank note Hmm okay lets write a poem… how am I feeling right now… Writes 1-2 line… Fuck I can’t think of anything else… my head hurts… Press homescreen Stare at it for 10 seconds Turn it off Spin the phone around like a fidget spinner Bored af

Open ##2625568

@Kolanaki@pawb.social 2026-05-09 04:23

How the fuck is anyone here supposed to answer that? There's nobody normal here!

Open ##3121756

@fushuan@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2026-05-09 16:40

Most normal people? Instagram, tiktok, facebook. Maybe twitter.

Open ##3121757

@Beebabe@lemmy.world 2026-05-09 05:12

Open phone. See if new email. Check here. Check YouTube subs. Adds up to less than an hour a day. Unless I feel like sudoku. Thats my time sink.

Open ##3121760

@MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 2026-05-10 02:04

They ask about *normal* people and Lemmings mostly answer about themselves. 🤦‍♂️

Open ##3121761

@BossDj@piefed.social 2026-05-09 04:52

Normal people scroll social media. Instagram. Maybe buy something the ad tells them they need. Then send messages or videos to friends and chats. That's about it. I just started Dungeon Crawler Carl on my phone.

Open ##3121764

@url@lemmy.world 2026-05-09 04:12

Short form videos and social media?

Open ##3121769

@JennaR8r@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2026-05-09 12:52

Is anybody truly "normal?" Whenever I pick up my phone to waste time, I bounce between: ̶L̶e̶m̶m̶y̶ nevermind you said we're not allowed to mention that YouTube Email Excel spreadsheets Amazon shopping app VA app for appointment reminders, medical records, messaging with my doctors

Open ##3121770

@Iconoclast@feddit.uk 2026-05-09 05:37

Many seem to watch short vertical videos of people talking to the camera about stuff I couldn't care less about.

Open ##3121774

@THE_GR8_MIKE@lemmy.world 2026-05-09 16:51

YouTube. Also that stupid mobile Pokémon card game for like 3 minutes, twice a day.

Open ##3121775

@daggermoon@piefed.world 2026-05-09 08:50

Before I had an existential crisis and lost my damn mind it was instagram, discord, and snapchat (literally for 2 people). Now it's just Lemmy.

Open ##3121776

@farmgineer@nord.pub 2026-05-09 04:24

my wife: short-form video (mostly insta reels, I think). me: language learning app or ebook.

Open ##3121781

@adarza@lemmy.ca 2026-05-09 04:37

i don't do anything on my phone. it's a flip phone with data and wifi disabled on the device, and sms disabled at the carrier. it's quite literally just a 'telephone'. if i go somewhere where i might expect a long wait alone (like to a doctor's appointment), i'll take a paperback with me.

Open ##3121782

@BurgerBaron@piefed.social 2026-05-09 05:57

They waste hours scrolling too but instead it's billionaire tuned brainrot machines and a handful of predatory games but also Wordle. Holy shit do they love Wordle.

Open ##3121783

@arsCynic@piefed.social 2026-05-09 05:34

Panem et circenses.

Open ##3121785

@Wytch@lemmy.zip 2026-05-09 06:59

Wordle and a number of other similar puzzles around the web.

Open ##3121787

@YellowParenti@lemmy.wtf 2026-05-09 14:57

I have an ebook reader and I download epubs. I also have an audio book player so it looks like im working.

Open ##3121789

@hperrin@lemmy.ca 2026-05-09 04:42

![](https://lemmy.ca/pictrs/image/1ee26949-4cf3-42d2-8ca1-283daefa25f1.jpeg)

Open ##3121790

@Shellofbiomatter@lemmus.org 2026-05-09 04:51

As you did forbid the main time killer and i got banned from the other. Then YouTube or watching some movies/TV shows, some phone games, maybe googling/looking something up. Of course music and audiobooks, but that's not really spending time on phone, those are just playing on the background.

Open ##3121791

@unitedwithme@lemmy.today 2026-05-09 05:46

I'm off all social media (over 10 years) off reddit for 6+months (banned), closed LinkedIn (2-3mo ago and sick of the data siphoning) closed Imgur about 4-5 months ago (just because). It- honest to God, is SO freeing! I'm only on my phone for work calls, maybe a few email (use rotating addresses to cut spam), and a game or two from F-Droid if I have spare time. Otherwise it's just a few Lemmy pages about privacy, security, or self-hosted... My 4+ year old phone battery still lasts about 1.5-2 days with mostly WiFi and BT, some GPS and data. It's nice it lasts so long. Most other free time is family or maybe hobby stuff.

Open ##3121792

@bss03@infosec.pub 2026-05-10 19:09

I'm not normal, but I'm guessing some mix of Instagram, TikTok, and Shorts. But, maybe there's more casino / gatcha games, too.

Open ##3121793

@thisbenzingring@lemmy.today 2026-05-09 06:07

i play a lot of solitaire

Open ##3121798

@BeigeAgenda@lemmy.ca 2026-05-09 06:59

- Researching the next project. - Watching way too much news about American and world politics, I'm getting a bit tired after two years with flooded zone. - Audiobooks and podcasts.

Open ##3121799

@BeN9o@lemmy.world 2026-05-09 06:37

Moonreader or play books, when reddit removed 3rd party api access, I never installed the official app, so I replaced it with reading. That is, until I found Lemmy ;) I still read more than I scroll tho.

Open ##3121801

@CalcProgrammer1@lemmy.today 2026-05-09 04:49

Open Termux, open Qt Creator and VS Code, write code, compile code, test code, fix bugs, git commit.

Open ##3121805

@Libb@piefed.social 2026-05-09 04:17

I leave it in my pocket or in my messenger bag, unused safe when I really need it. Instead, I will either read a book, look/walk around for something or some scene to sketch, or will spend time talking with people. And, yes, I consider myself 'most normal people' ;)

Open ##3121811

@OldQWERTYbastard@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2026-05-09 05:06

Normal people don't need a phone to pass the time. With that being said, the amount of brain rot competing for our attention is staggering.

Open ##3121812

@RoddyStiggs@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2026-05-09 17:08

Masturbating

Open ##3121815

@RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 2026-05-09 14:22

Weather, my hobby groups some of which I admin, email, looking up various parts and how-to’s for a car I’m working on, messaging, and occasional housecleaning of the phone itself - getting rid of unnecessary photos, email, SMS and all that.

Open ##3121816

@anon_8675309@lemmy.world 2026-05-10 20:35

Read articles I’ve saved to my self hosted readeck. Oh you said normal people …

Open ##3121817

@SarahFromOz@lemmy.world 2026-05-09 08:31

Pornhub and redgifs. Oh yeah and occasionally emails.

Open ##3121818

@scala@lemmy.ml 2026-05-10 17:10

Local current and future weather forecast What plants do well in my zone this time of year. Contemplate on getting another rain barrel Read patch notes for whatever game I'm currently playing Check forums for posts about patch notes complaints.

Open ##3121819

@RodgeGrabTheCat@sh.itjust.works 2026-05-09 05:53

2048 set to a 7x7 grid. RSS

Open ##3121820

@Interstellar_1@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2026-05-09 23:48

Mostly tumblr, Lemmy, reddit, and occasionally Wikipedia for me. Most people I know would be on Instagram, but I can't stand it.

Open ##3121825

@TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 2026-05-09 05:04

Idk. Goon.

Open ##3121826

@mysticpickle@lemmy.ca 2026-05-09 05:55

[Slice and Dice](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.com.tann.dice) Been playing for *years* now. Still not tired of it!