I took my kids to Wissahickon Valley Park and left the algorithm at home. A few quick photos, then the phone went away. Same trails and bridges I walked years ago, same ducks hustling for crumbs, same creek soundtrack. The footprint hasn’t changed much aside from some new signage to prove time passed. The awe stayed exactly where I left it.
The magic? No feeds, just trees. The Valley does what tech can’t: it clears headspace. Movement, water, and wind handle the UX, and attention resets on its own. Watching my kids skim rocks where I used to felt like syncing two versions of myself.
It was good to remember that the strongest connection sometimes happens in airplane mode.