I get it; it's not that you're addicted to technology, but you would really rather not be without it. It's ok, I'm in denial too (we all are). Luckily, the Lizard Squad hacks shut down Facebook and Instagram for just an hour, and any subsequent attacks aren't likely to be for too long.  

However, If the thought of being without Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat for any portion of time strikes you with fear - they are your 'go-to' apps after all - then you'd better have something ready to fill the space they'll leave in your life, right? 

Instead of spending time communicating with others, why not do something for you? There are some great apps out there that help you do just that. Spend some time with my top five and feel better for it.

  

Headspace  

 

I rave about Headspace at every opportunity. It's a mindfulness and meditation app. It comes with meditation packages (including emergency meditation for when you're really losing it), mindfulness videos and podcasts from its founder, Andy Puddicombe. Mindfulness was the buzzword of 2014, but is it just a phase? I don't think so. Its potential benefits to the general public have even been discussed in parliament. With meditation podcasts starting at only five minutes long, there's no reason not to give it a go. Try it for a fortnight and like me, you'll be glad you did. 

Wunderlist 

 

I can't believe I only found this a week ago. It's a to-do list app - it sounds so simple, but trust me, it is brilliant. You can date, add notes, files and sub-lists into each task, and have as many lists as you want. Ok, so it all sounds really boring and sensible, but you'll feel much better for using it. As somebody who is used to carrying round various pieces of scrap paper with to-dos written on them, it is a relief to have it all in one place. 

TED  

 

So, apparently there are still people who don't know what TED is. If you are one of those people, that needs to change. Download TED. I'm not going to tell you about it, just download it. 

Duolingo 

 

What is not to love about Duolingo? It's a free language app. It's smart, cute and only teaches you what you can handle. It doesn't let you level up to harder classes until you're comfortable, and you can always level back down. It teaches you pronunciation as well as spelling, so you'll fit right in with the locals. I always regretted not paying attention in French class. It's great to have the chance to try again, and I can learn whenever and wherever I want. 

Pocket 

 

I read a lot online, and my Favourites was filling up rapidly with articles I wanted to read again later. Saving them to Pocket makes things a lot easier - they're all in one place and they are much easier to find than in a exhaustive list of web addresses. You can attach a Pocket button to your browser (on your PC, tablet and phone) so you can quickly add an article to your pocket. Oh, and it automatically saves them for reading offline! 

Just don't. Really.

Here's a comprehensive list of why I hate them.

This list is not exhaustive.

They're impersonal

If you want to write a message to each follower, write each one individually. You don't have time to do that? Well, then don't, but definitely don't write one single message to go to every new follower. It's so obvious, and considering most of the twitter auto-messages are sent with the purpose of selling a product, it's really poor customer service. You wouldn't serve every customer in exactly the same way. I used to work in an ice cream parlour and when small children came in, I'd call them 'sweetheart' or 'flower'. Enormous middle aged men used to come in too...I definitely didn't call them that.

If you think starting your auto-message with 'Hi, how are you?' convinces me that it isn't automatic, it doesn't. Sorry. The big giveaway is that I can't answer your question - because you haven't followed me back. The second is probably that it's half ten on a Saturday night and I received your message within 5 seconds of me hitting follow. Either you absolutely love new followers to very worrying extremes or it's automatic.

It's spam!

It's no different to irritating spam emails, cold calls and texts. Nobody likes them, and it makes me regret following you. I probably starting following you because I genuinely liked your product - now I'm unimpressed by your customer service, and I haven't even bought anything from you yet!

It's lazy

If this is part of your digital marketing strategy then you lack imagination. You also lack knowledge on why people use social media. Studies show that notifications from a social media platform - from a real person - causes pleasure. This is why people fall in love with social media, and why people can become addicted to the internet.
The build up starts on hearing the 'ping' of your phone, so it's a bit disappointing to see it's just spam.

Ok, I lied. There is one time that this approach is acceptable.

This is an auto-message I received from @jpstyle_fashion. It's the only one I liked because...

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