End of an Era
The Youtube craze.
My social media of choice has been both instagram and YouTube. I watched a video that gave me an idea to aid in information overload and to aid myself by this means, I am dropping youtube. Not entirely. Just the having an account portion.
The Idea:
This was actually really neat. Take a journal, go through your instagram, tiktok, youtube, ect. feeds and make a list of channels and content that you are interested in and have saved. Write it downn in a list format. You can also give each item a color label to differentiate between content types such as articles, videos, and other.
Concerns:
I have a problem with accumulating to much content and being in information overload. To combat this I took 2 approaches. A spiritual/mindset and an action (connected with the above). Content seems to consume me, but as I was going through all my saved youtube content (even from years back) consolidating it was actually quite easy because the topics and channels where pretty recurring and the ones that where not where in a playlists from other channels. So condensing the content, Alhumdulillah has been somewhat easy.
The spiritual mindset:
Honestly this is the MOST important part that has helped me get to this point and not be all consumed. One of the thoughts that plagues me is missing out on specific information for reasons such as it being deleted (or lost) and writing about it now makes me think of how pointless that actually is. So here is what connected with me:
- Information is constant. Someone had to learn it from somewhere and there isn't just one singular source, even if the quality content can only be found in another language. It's still there.
- If it was meant for you to learn, you will be brought to it. Somehow, someway. Dua is a powerful thing.
- The information we consume isn't always something we are truly interested/invested in and it's just there. For consumption. So we allow that information to consume us instead.
- On the off chance you come across something that truly is individual and you may not be able to find it anywhere else, write that source down and give it attention if you are actually interested in it.
This all sounds practical and I guess common sense, but for me it's spiritual because it took my Deen to bring me to these ultimate conclusions and actually make them connect to put them in action.
The application:
It is way to easy to be side-tracked and go off course. So that's when you come back to your "center". What this means? Sit down and meditate or write and re-collect why your here doing what you are to begin with. Like this blog post (essentially a journal entry) is doing for me now, MashAllah. Remember why you wanted to apply this, how this will help you and how important this is for you and your topics of choice.
If you are on a topic and and see more videos or articles you want to take in, this is where the journal comes in handy. Write it down and re-visit later when you can give it your complete focus. Specifically for articles I use Instapaper or you can print and read later.
When you are ready for your next topic, rather than going on a new search: take in your current lists and (possibly saved articles) and use those to reference and read. You are far more likely to retain what you learn, apply it and not get lost in the noise. inshAllah.
(P.S. don't forget to check your TBR list)
Remember life is short, the next moment is not promised. What is important right now? What is going to aid you, right now? What will benefit you in the afterlife (akhira) and this one?
Bringing it back:
So why delete youtube? It helps me not have the ability to "save to playlist", "watch later", "like", and no need for "watch history. So I can focus on what I am watching and give it my full attention and maybe add in a few other videos on the same topic. Plus hopefully no recommended videos geared towards me (clear cookies should be sufficient). This aligns with focus, and bringing strength to that focus. InshAllah.
There is a world of information out there, consume it. But don't let it consume you.