If you ask me why I don’t have Instagram on my phone, or the YouTube app, and insist on accessing them from the browser ¹, here’s why:
I refuse to let HOURS of my life be stolen from me! It’s no longer a minute here and there, but entire hours when I get on.
I was just caught red-handed by me self! After finding out I still had five hours until the release of the PATIENT ZER() tracks, I decided to scroll around a bit, you know, catch up on the (maylor) lore and see what everyone else was anticipating from the new clip.
An hour later, I found myself doom-scrolling in a doggy-nap position, neck cranked, eyes sore, having learned absolutely nothing except a few more engagements.
These short-form video apps are the most maliciously addictive devices, and I need a physical barrier—a technical friction, if you will—to stop myself. My fingers still unconsciously search for them even after removing it for weeks ². It’s a terminal illness for anyone without self-awareness.
The feeling of an hour just slipping through my fingertips upsets then frustrates me (hi, hence why I’m documenting this). Yet deleting my digital presence entirely feels a bit too extreme, so this browser–only setup has been my new coping mechanism, except when Tay announces a drop. I do love that she never makes us wait more than a month these days.
Sidenote
What do you mean there exists this wholesome family, the Mealy’s (@madisonmealy), that doesn’t give off trad. The husband looks just like Dexter from One Day. I literally squealed at their picture perfect family portraits and clips. (Sigh)
Throwback to my favourite line in One Day (2011):
I love you, Dexter, so much. I just don’t like you anymore.
Footnotes
- Instagram is becoming X; I can’t access feeds unless I’m signed in from the apps, which sucks. Not worth the hassle most times anyway.
- I don't even have unlimited data when I'm out, which is a deliberate choice, so I'm already scrolling maybe 25% less than average.