u/Feisty_Text_3891

I've been nosurf mindful for a long time now, going long stretches without social media and practicing moderation. The hardest part I find isn't necessarily the boredom that may come with it. It's that my friends and most communities are so absorbed with technology and won't come outside because of it. It's almost like you are forced to have an online presence to have any semblance of "social life".

I can imagine if most people couldn't come home to video games, instant streaming, smart phones then they'd naturally gravitate outside and have more in real life connections. So for anyone practicing nosurf, you're more likely to practice solo activities until you get sucked back in because everyone you know is on social media and you risk destroying your social life. I often find that tech reliance also makes people very passive when it comes to friendships. Opting to send a silly meme or reel as opposed to starting an engaging conversation. If there were more communities of people that had reduced technology consumption, it would be a lot easier to tap into that network to socialize and get together hereby making it easier to reduce social media reliance.

Long story short. I have family that was supposed to pay the utility bill but wasn't aware as they thought everything was paid with their rent. The utility bill is under my name and hasn't been paid in 7 months. I intend to pay the full amount but was wondering what the best course of action is. The amount owed is less than $200. I want to pay with no issues but want to handle it in a way to drop this from my credit report entirely and continue paying the utility company.

1. Should I pay the bill directly with the utility company and if that is the case, will they remove the collection entirely?

2. If I reach out to the collection company, pay the amount as a "pay for delete". Will the owed balance with the DTE drop to zero with them and they'll have proof of payment from the collections?

I appreciate any info. Thanks!