I pride myself on not being on much of a social media user. I use reddit sporadicaly, and usually just lurk. I’m not glued to my phone, endlessly scrolling and liking thirst traps.

I’m higher minded. I have my RSS feed with content I’ve curated 💖. No aLgOrItHm decides what I see, and I actually like the blogs I follow.

Except …​

I’m still "addicted" (might need a better word). When I’m feeling anxious or any strong negative emotion, I’ll go numb myself with reading. I’ll often think about how I could be reading my feed instead of being productive. The information passes through me, but I’m not digesting it. I prioritize content that’s easier to skim through. If my eyes hurt, I’ll lower the brightness. Faster faster faster.

Replace phone with laptop, and scrolling with the down arrow. I’m the same as everyone else. I’ve just chosen a different flavor. I have failed to be more mindful of my media consumption.

I setup a screen time limit for my browser and feed reader. Lets see how it goes.