I
have content fatigue. Is that a real thing? Surely a
reliable study has been done. But even if a study hasn’t been done, something
has definitely messed me up.
In the spirit of
Tom Haverford, here’s a typical Internet Routine for
my mornings:
·
Grab phone immediately upon waking up
because my phone is also my alarm.
·
Open Twitter and scroll without even
absorbing anything because my eyes are still dead.
·
Open Instagram because beautiful photos
are very important.
·
Check Facebook to see if I got any likes
or comments while I slept.
·
Once I’m finally walking around, I’ll check out
friends’ Snapchat Stories.
·
Get back on Facebook, but this time I’m on
my laptop after I’ve written my story — for
no reason at all because I loathe Facebook. Honestly, at this point I’m
just conditioned to open it during any lull.
·
By now, it’s time to get ready for work. I start the
shower and then inexplicably stand half-naked in my bathroom while scrolling
through Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Anchor, WHATEVER. My
phone eventually gets covered in steam…so I know when to stop. This
is exactly the kind of moment that signals: I’ve got a problem.
A
tricky place
There’s more
content on the web than any person can ever consume in a lifetime. This content
pile grows wider, deeper, and higher every second and there’s no stopping it.
It’ll grow and grow until it becomes self-aware and eats our brains. Even after
I publish this insanely valuable and well-written story, I’m only adding to a
man-eating pile.
The internet can
be a tricky place for those of us who get addicted to knowledge, new insights,
fresh ideas, compelling stories, comment debates, and digital connections.
Some people can
consistently eat up content (as well as produce it) without ever being affected
or slowing down. I’m not one of those people. It all exhausts me after too
long. I don’t know why that is. I just know that it is.
What
I have to do
I’ll be taking a
month off — a Digital
Fast, if you will.
From June 7 to
July 6, I won’t be active on any social network. Nor will I consume any digital
content.
Here’s what I am
allowed to consume:
·
Music
·
Fiction, philosophy, biography, or poetry books
·
Story-driven or educational podcasts like This
American Life, Reply All,Stuff You Should Know, Criminal.
If you’re
wondering why I’m allowing those things, it’s because those are the types of
content that I never intentionally try to extract insight or knowledge from. I
simply consume and enjoy the ride. However, sometimes insight or knowledge is
an unintentional byproduct.
What
I’ll be doing instead
You may not be
able to tell from my above Internet Routine, but I do have a life
outside of the web. There are few projects and goals that I’ll be pursuing like
a starving predator during my Digital Fast.
1. Getting
fit. I’m going on a tropical vacation in a month
2. A
freelance project. It’s always nice to have extra cash
for vacation. So I added a freelance gig to my June schedule.
3.
Finishing my all reading book. I’m avid reader. This
should be easier during a digital fast.
See
you in a month
Hopefully my eyes
won’t be so bloodshot by then. Also, I’d love to know if anybody else
experiences content fatigue? If so, what helps? Quick, let me know by tomorrow!
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