Love this post - I've been doing the same with TV subscriptions and use Newsfeed eradicator for most social apps (although Linkedin is a necessary evil on a job hunt)
Was looking for a way to eradicate YT shorts - thanks for sharing that.
I've been starting the day with substack lately vs reading books but agreed - reading books is almost like meditation compared to other media (which is a trance like state akin to digital drugs - and porn is the cocaine)
To be honest online reading is so ingrained now in my content diet that it's normal to have 10-20 ish tabs open now. Trying to cull this by selecting fewer publications to read and Marie Kondo my way through it (what life do you want and how is this adding/subtracting from it?)
Ved, very well said — you’re right that reading a book is like mediation, by comparison. I haven’t heard of Newsfeed Eradicator. That seems like a great option. Thank you for reading!
I admire how intentional you're approaching your internet feed. Your point about renting a movie/TV show vs paying for a subscription makes so much sense.
I've been playing Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney! It's a detective/lawyer game that's broken down into cases, and each case is broken down into chapters. It makes it super easy to start and stop. There's remastered trilogies released for the Switch :)
I agree with most of this except the point on only lasting finite video games. I would say play an infinite video game, but only play one every year before switching to the next one.
Hey Nat, thanks for reading! I like this and may amend it to my rule, especially to allow for a high-quality, open-world games. And most of those have stories anyway, so they’re technically not infinite in the same way multiplayer shooters are.
My vice is and always will be YouTube. I will always want to come back to see the creators I love and value create a new video for me to enjoy. I have a hard time letting it go because for me, it’s a parasocial time to catch up with my friend. But now with YouTube shorts, I will justify my endless scrolling with “I am so exhausted, I just want to relax” and I’ll walk away feeling mildly satisfied and more anxious by my negative self talk of how much “time I’ve wasted”. Abstinence is absolutely the answer.
Thanks for sharing this, Milena, I’ve had this same feeling too many times too. And there’s so much incredible *art* on YouTube that I don’t want to give it up altogether. I just want to stop using it as a distraction. I’ve experimented with scheduling time for YouTube, and that’s helped.
I enjoyed the post. I agree with most that is in it. The tone changes sharply depending on what you like/dislike: “Those drinks are the color of feces.” Is pretty strong.
I uninstalled Facebook and Instagram from my phone. I still use them however on the desktop. It has been a positive move.
In currently live in a place with no TV. So I have watched only one film in the last 3 months. I do not watch many series. Most of the time they feel like story lines that are made unnecessarily long, akin to adding water to soup. I have seen my reading time go up and that makes me happy. We were talking with my wife about buying a TV, but after reading this I am leaning against it.
The one point we do not agree on is video games. I used to play a lot but after having gamer roommates and knowing people I love lost in those games I started to dislike them. They are engineered to be addictive just like social media and yes, coke.
Hey Daniel, it’s great to hear from you, and thanks for reading! I don’t expect this exact list to be right for anyone but me, and I know many people are not disgusted by Coke but are by video games. Maybe I’ll quit video games too at some point, but for now, I enjoy them and have found a way to not get swept up in them.
When you and your roommates played a lot of video games, were they finite or infinite games?
Infinite games. A good friend of mine plays Animal Crossing for waaaay to many hours. Are we supposed to think it is harmless just because nothing really happens in it? I much rather see her playing a violent game half the amount of time.
This piece resonated for me, Garrett. How we consume is just as important of a question as what we consume. Your point of “Books before all else” sparked in me an interesting self-inquiry about what I would want to spend time doing - why wouldn’t I want to spend time honing my craft or honing the skills to support my craft? And, perhaps more importantly, why wouldn’t I want to support the crafts made by authentic creators?
I feel like I have been walking along side with you (among others, I am sure) on this riverbank of streaming services, choosing a conscious practice of where I want to dip my toes. Since I’ve taken off the YouTube app off my phone and paired down subscriptions, I’ve found space to fall back in love with handwriting in a physical journal and started to play with illustration on both analog and digital mediums.
This is awesome to hear, Mark! I’ve also found myself going more analog within the last year or so, including purchasing a mechanical typewriters, which I use for journaling and drafting essays.
Also, I love your standing-on-the-banks analogy applied to streaming services. I think that’s the only mindful way to go about it. Thank you for reading!
This piece is a wake-up call for many of us, Garrett. Sadly many people will just hit Snooze. (But I don't mean to judge.)
Your views on the term "feed" reminded me of two quotes. The first is by Bill Maher: “Philip Morris just wanted your lungs. The App Store wants your soul." [This can apply to social media too.]
The second is a paraphrase of a quote by an entrepreneur, though I forget who exactly: "Who else calls their consumers 'users'? Drug dealers. That's what social media is—a drug."
I became conscious of my mindless consumption when I started a personal project in 2022. Like you said, my rotting mind craved distraction. Now I strive to be engaged in meaningful work rather than being occupied by trivial ones. Even my content consumption aligns with the former as much as possible.
A few steps I've taken:
1. Switched off all App notifs on my phone.
2. Installed the Mindful Browsing app to limit social media browsing.
3. None of my mobile devices are "mobile." I keep my phone and iPad at a distance. When I want to check either of them, I walk up to where they are, see what I want to see (while standing), and put them back. The only things within reach are books.
Hey Vishal, thanks for this thoughtful reply. You’re dead-on about the customers as “users” phenomenon. That language makes it blatantly clear that their only objective is to get us to use everything more.
I especially like your point #3 — literally putting your devices in their place.
Love this post - I've been doing the same with TV subscriptions and use Newsfeed eradicator for most social apps (although Linkedin is a necessary evil on a job hunt)
Was looking for a way to eradicate YT shorts - thanks for sharing that.
I've been starting the day with substack lately vs reading books but agreed - reading books is almost like meditation compared to other media (which is a trance like state akin to digital drugs - and porn is the cocaine)
To be honest online reading is so ingrained now in my content diet that it's normal to have 10-20 ish tabs open now. Trying to cull this by selecting fewer publications to read and Marie Kondo my way through it (what life do you want and how is this adding/subtracting from it?)
Ved, very well said — you’re right that reading a book is like mediation, by comparison. I haven’t heard of Newsfeed Eradicator. That seems like a great option. Thank you for reading!
I admire how intentional you're approaching your internet feed. Your point about renting a movie/TV show vs paying for a subscription makes so much sense.
Also, Kirby and The Forgotten Land is awesome.
Hey Becky, thank you! Totally agree — let me know if you have any any recommendations for other great, finite video games.
I've been playing Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney! It's a detective/lawyer game that's broken down into cases, and each case is broken down into chapters. It makes it super easy to start and stop. There's remastered trilogies released for the Switch :)
Love Phoenix Wright - that's a classic Nintendo game
As someone who is always deconstructing the algorithms around me, this was a very valuable exploration, Garrett.
Thanks, Karena, I’m glad to hear that!
I agree with most of this except the point on only lasting finite video games. I would say play an infinite video game, but only play one every year before switching to the next one.
Hey Nat, thanks for reading! I like this and may amend it to my rule, especially to allow for a high-quality, open-world games. And most of those have stories anyway, so they’re technically not infinite in the same way multiplayer shooters are.
My vice is and always will be YouTube. I will always want to come back to see the creators I love and value create a new video for me to enjoy. I have a hard time letting it go because for me, it’s a parasocial time to catch up with my friend. But now with YouTube shorts, I will justify my endless scrolling with “I am so exhausted, I just want to relax” and I’ll walk away feeling mildly satisfied and more anxious by my negative self talk of how much “time I’ve wasted”. Abstinence is absolutely the answer.
Thanks for sharing this, Milena, I’ve had this same feeling too many times too. And there’s so much incredible *art* on YouTube that I don’t want to give it up altogether. I just want to stop using it as a distraction. I’ve experimented with scheduling time for YouTube, and that’s helped.
I enjoyed the post. I agree with most that is in it. The tone changes sharply depending on what you like/dislike: “Those drinks are the color of feces.” Is pretty strong.
I uninstalled Facebook and Instagram from my phone. I still use them however on the desktop. It has been a positive move.
In currently live in a place with no TV. So I have watched only one film in the last 3 months. I do not watch many series. Most of the time they feel like story lines that are made unnecessarily long, akin to adding water to soup. I have seen my reading time go up and that makes me happy. We were talking with my wife about buying a TV, but after reading this I am leaning against it.
The one point we do not agree on is video games. I used to play a lot but after having gamer roommates and knowing people I love lost in those games I started to dislike them. They are engineered to be addictive just like social media and yes, coke.
Hey Daniel, it’s great to hear from you, and thanks for reading! I don’t expect this exact list to be right for anyone but me, and I know many people are not disgusted by Coke but are by video games. Maybe I’ll quit video games too at some point, but for now, I enjoy them and have found a way to not get swept up in them.
When you and your roommates played a lot of video games, were they finite or infinite games?
Infinite games. A good friend of mine plays Animal Crossing for waaaay to many hours. Are we supposed to think it is harmless just because nothing really happens in it? I much rather see her playing a violent game half the amount of time.
This piece resonated for me, Garrett. How we consume is just as important of a question as what we consume. Your point of “Books before all else” sparked in me an interesting self-inquiry about what I would want to spend time doing - why wouldn’t I want to spend time honing my craft or honing the skills to support my craft? And, perhaps more importantly, why wouldn’t I want to support the crafts made by authentic creators?
I feel like I have been walking along side with you (among others, I am sure) on this riverbank of streaming services, choosing a conscious practice of where I want to dip my toes. Since I’ve taken off the YouTube app off my phone and paired down subscriptions, I’ve found space to fall back in love with handwriting in a physical journal and started to play with illustration on both analog and digital mediums.
This is awesome to hear, Mark! I’ve also found myself going more analog within the last year or so, including purchasing a mechanical typewriters, which I use for journaling and drafting essays.
Also, I love your standing-on-the-banks analogy applied to streaming services. I think that’s the only mindful way to go about it. Thank you for reading!
This piece is a wake-up call for many of us, Garrett. Sadly many people will just hit Snooze. (But I don't mean to judge.)
Your views on the term "feed" reminded me of two quotes. The first is by Bill Maher: “Philip Morris just wanted your lungs. The App Store wants your soul." [This can apply to social media too.]
The second is a paraphrase of a quote by an entrepreneur, though I forget who exactly: "Who else calls their consumers 'users'? Drug dealers. That's what social media is—a drug."
I became conscious of my mindless consumption when I started a personal project in 2022. Like you said, my rotting mind craved distraction. Now I strive to be engaged in meaningful work rather than being occupied by trivial ones. Even my content consumption aligns with the former as much as possible.
A few steps I've taken:
1. Switched off all App notifs on my phone.
2. Installed the Mindful Browsing app to limit social media browsing.
3. None of my mobile devices are "mobile." I keep my phone and iPad at a distance. When I want to check either of them, I walk up to where they are, see what I want to see (while standing), and put them back. The only things within reach are books.
Once again, thanks for this reminder.
Hey Vishal, thanks for this thoughtful reply. You’re dead-on about the customers as “users” phenomenon. That language makes it blatantly clear that their only objective is to get us to use everything more.
I especially like your point #3 — literally putting your devices in their place.
This resonates with me. I wrote a piece on something similar recently. Feel free to check it out:
https://thedaythesocialmediadied.substack.com/p/is-there-life-beyond-the-feed
Would love to hear your thoughts!
The Substack algorithm fed me this but truly enjoyed it 🕊️
I really enjoyed this breakdown of why "algorithmic feeds" and the lack of control over curation can be an issue and cause overload.
Might take your suggestion up particularly on the buying/renting TVs/movies etc! Thanks for sharing :)
I wonder whether you have criteria for the books you read? Because there can be information overload on that front too