TikTok & The Circle’s Bru Shares His Phone Habits For A Week
There’s a little Oscars, Love Is Blind, and even some Apple Maps.
In Chronically Online, Elite Daily asks people to get real about their phone habits, tracking their screen time over the course of seven days. This week, content creator and nationally syndicated host for Audacy Josh “Bru” Brubaker shares the apps he used the most, the time he spent scrolling, and how much posting he did while getting ready for the Oscars.
Being chronically online comes with the territory when you’re a radio host. At least that seems to be the case for Josh “Bru” Brubaker, who is not only tasked with having to always know the biggest names in music, but interview them as well, chatting with celebs like Dua Lipa and Selena Gomez on his show.
Most recently, Bru, better known as @bruontheradio on Instagram and TikTok, has used his pop culture know-how to celebrate some of the best films of the year at the Academy Awards. Preparing for a night like the Oscars takes a lot of research, including scrolling through his FYP. “I do as deep a dive as I can go,” he tells Elite Daily. “The way I'm the most comfortable and I feel good about an artist coming in[to my studio] is just be as prepped as possible.”
I think we all need to be a little more bored in life.
That means he’s on his phone more than he prefers. But being more present and cutting down screen time are part of his resolutions for 2024. “I think we all need to be a little more bored in life,” says the content creator, who has over 4.6M TikTok followers. “That's where I come up with creative ideas. It's never scrolling,” it’s from IRL moments and letting his imagination run wild.
As someone who is constantly “looking at screens” for research, to consume pop culture, and make content for his own TikTok, Bru says he’s working on being more bored and focusing on what matters the most. Though he may be rubbing shoulders with Joe Keery and Sabrina Carpenter for work, he likes to keep it down to earth during his time off.
The 26-year-old has a “90-day rule” that he picked up from an Uber driver, and it allows him to see his family and friends at least four times a year. Before heading back to LA to get ready for “Hollywood’s big night,” the star from Netflix’s The Circle made one of those trips to his hometown — and tracked his screen time along the way.
Below, he shares what he learned about his most used apps, the show he’s currently watching on Netflix, and why he prefers being authentic on social media over planning out his TikToks.
Occupation: Host for Audacy and digital star
Age: 26
Location: Los Angeles, California and Detroit, Michigan
Weekly Average (March 2 - March 15): 4 hours, 26 minutes
Day 1: Home Sweet Home
I flew home from Los Angeles to Detroit to visit family and see my beloved Pistons for a game.
On the airplane there, I was the definition of “chronically online.” I recently started posting some older clips from TikTok to Instagram. When Reels first started, it wasn't cool to post videos on Instagram. I missed sharing so much good content from TikTok that I was really proud of, so I started reformatting that for Reels. That takes so much time, but it helps when you are flying and you don't have new content.
I've been throwing it back to some good old radio TikToks that I made, and people love them. You forget that there's so many different audiences, and Reels are notorious for being behind. One of the videos I recently re-shared got a quarter million likes, and I'm like, “I swear everyone has seen this at some point.” It's great to introduce a new audience to my videos.
Most Used Apps: Instagram, TikTok, X
Screen Time: 5 hours, 14 minutes
Day 2: Babysitter Bru
Becoming a godfather has been a joy that’s hard to explain. There’s this pride, selflessness, and happiness that I’ve experienced, but that also comes with guilt living so far away. That said, it makes the time home together that much more special.
I have two nieces, Nora and Lydia, who are ages 3 and 1, and they’re the best kids ever. Hanging out with them keeps me plenty off my phone (until we start using silly Snapchat filters that they love so much).
I spent the whole day with them, so most of my screen time was Maps driving there, Messages to keep up with everyone else, and then after using my best radio voice reading a bedtime story to the gals, I scrolled on TikTok till I fell asleep and the phone fell on my face.
I try not to watch TikTok before bed, but I was alone. When I'm with Anna [Sitar, my girlfriend,] or family, it's a little more distracting. Since 10 p.m. East Coast time is only 7 p.m. West Coast time, it was hard to just close my eyes and go to sleep, so cue the doom scrolling.
Being in music and on the radio, my algo is full of songs. Benson Boone had recently come by for a quick interview, so I get his new song “Beautiful Things” nonstop on TikTok. But aside from music, I'll get golf, barbecue stuff, and comedy videos — those are my biggest ones.
Most Used Apps: TikTok, Maps, Messages
Screen Time: 4 hours, 43 minutes
Day 3: Brunch And Goodbye To The Fam
It’s not until I started monitoring my screen time that I noticed how much I use Maps. I got brunch at this lovely place in downtown Toledo with my grandma Marilyn. She’s lived here her whole life and the stories are endless. I could drink bottomless mimosas and listen to them over brunch all day.
After that, I visited a childhood friend who just had his own kid. I finished up the day with my mom, dad, and little sister. One thing about my parents is they love themselves some knick knacks. Their recent addition is an axe throwing game made for inside. It was a totally fun (and actually safe) way to wrap up this fulfilling trip.
Most Used Apps: TikTok, Maps, Instagram
Screen Time: 3 hours, 37 minutes
Day 4: Love Is Blind And Back To Work
I had to wake up at 6 a.m. for my flight back home to LA. Luckily, I was able to sleep a little bit heading back to the West Coast. After I woke up, I spent the rest of the plane ride catching up on the newest season of Love Is Blind.
This was the best season since Season 1. There's never been more memes, and quotes. The whole Megan Fox thing was wild. Being on a Netflix show myself, I understand that everything's so condensed, so I am usually a lot more graceful with these people than the audiences. When you go on X (formerly Twitter), and you start looking up Love is Blind stuff, people are ruthless.
When I was on The Circle, I understood [...] there's going to be context left out. That can be frustrating.
When I was on The Circle, I understood that it's an hour of everyone's day being edited down. There's going to be context left out. That can be frustrating, but at the end of the day, you kind of say what you say. If we're complaining about the way you treated someone or a really dumb thing you said, you still said it. You got to be accountable for it. That's just reality TV.
But yeah, I’m a big fan of Love is Blind. The iconic moment of Jimmy being like, “I'm not willing,” made me laugh for like three days straight. I also love Johnny and Amy. They're as wholesome as it gets.
Landing shortly after 11 a.m. local time, I headed straight to my studio to host my daily radio show. It’s a mix of pop culture, celebrity interviews, lifestyle topics, and more on Audacy stations across the country. Some of my favorite guests lately have been Dua Lipa, Selena Gomez, and Jennifer Lopez. Icons.
After that I was so happy to see the weather in LA turned, and it was beautiful outside. I walked at my favorite nearby park to break up all the sitting earlier on the plane before crashing on the couch from the busy travel day.
Most Used Apps: Netflix, TikTok
Screen Time: 5 hours, 31 minutes
Day 5: Anna’s Home
I started the day with a little pep in my step because my girlfriend, Anna, was returning from a two-week gauntlet for fashion week out in Paris. I couldn’t wait to pick her up.
I finished up all my talking, TikToking, and Zoom meetings before her arrival at 2 p.m. Then, it was time to drive to everyone's favorite place to sit in traffic, LAX. “Daddy’s Home” has been stuck in my head since Usher did the Super Bowl halftime show, and it’s also been trending on TikTok so I blame that for my decision to make a “Daddy’s Home” sign for her.
After I picked up Anna, I used Maps again to help guide me through the joy of LA traffic. When we got home, we shared our favorite classic meal after traveling: spaghetti.
Most Used Apps: TikTok, Messages, Maps
Screen Time: 3 hours, 5 minutes
Day 6: Oscars Prep With Friends
It was one of Hollywood's biggest weekends. The town was buzzin’ for the Oscars. There are events for nominees, social platforms, and brands, you could fill up every single night if you want to. I was prepping for two events that I was excited about: the TikTok x Hollywood Reporter Nominee party and Elton John’s Oscar After Party. My screen time was a little higher this day as I scrolled for outfit inspo, movie nominee clips, and for laughs.
Before the night ended, I managed to fit in a workout, then met up for dinner with a couple of my content creator friends, Jack Martin and Matt Friend, who were in town for the week. As Matt loves to yell every time he’s in town: “HOLLYWOOD, BABY!”
Most Used Apps: Instagram, TikTok, X
Screen Time: 4hr 49m
Day 7: Party Time
I started the day editing some videos for my TikTok, Instagram, and a brand partnership before sliding into my tuxedo to head to the TikTok x Hollywood Reporter Nominee Party.
I love taking my followers behind the scenes as much as possible.
My Snapchat climbed up in my screen time this day because I love taking my followers behind the scenes as much as possible, especially when it’s something as big as an Oscars party. I’ve always found it so unique to learn about other people’s jobs and see their perspectives on it.
Snapchat feels like I’m posting pics to my close friends group chat. It’s very unpolished and casual, which is the opposite of what we see at the Oscars. I had a blast celebrating the biggest movies of the year with the nominees.
Most Used Apps: TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat
Screen Time: 4 hours, 1 minute
Final Thoughts: Be More Bored
Tracking my screen time, I was surprised at some of the apps I use. Though it was never one of my most used apps, I was shocked to see I spend a lot of time on Facebook. If you think Instagram Reels is old, there's a meme from when I was in high school on Facebook.
I was also surprised that I use the Notes app a lot. One day, I spent an hour on the Notes app. I like to say I'm a pen to paper kind of guy; I love writing stuff down. The problem is I lose notebooks, so I use the Notes app for artist preps, when I’m getting ready for an interview.
Overall, what I learned is that if you’re trying to cut down on your screen time, my suggestion is to leave your phone behind. Be more bored. Start as small as taking a 10-minute walk and leaving your phone at home. I did that once, and it gave me anxiety, but after a few times, you get through it.
Take those times for yourself where you're just in your own brain. Let yourself detox, and be bored. You'll be excited about how well your brain works.
