It was amazing! I did not miss it AT ALL! No regurgitated links, memes, outrage, sensationalism, falsehoods, etc. No bickering, no name-calling, or news feed filled with angst, dread, and pessimism… total bliss. I am well aware of what’s going on here and abroad, so there’s enough going on in my own head and heart without having it amplified by social media. Rather than spending my time in an echo chamber doomscrolling, I’ve been teaching my son about what’s been going on and why voting is so important. Also how to cook.
In addition to no social media, I don’t regularly listen to broadcast radio or watch network TV. I don’t watch cable TV, either, with the exception of the Winter Olympics and election night for presidential elections (my HOA fees pay for it, that’s the only reason I have it). I only watch Stephen Colbert and SNL on YouTube, and I haven’t used Google as my search engine for two years. I use ad blockers and pay for apps to remove ads. Literally the only ads I see are those I see at the top of my Yahoo mail inbox or in my Mahjong Tiles app, which I only play once in a blue moon (and they’re ads for games). The only election ads I’ve ever seen are the ones I get in snail mail. The only time I hear commercials is when I have the radio on when I drive the Nissan for 20 minutes once a week. The only commercials I see are when I watch TV once every four years (or two years because Winter Olympics). I do see some ads on YouTube, but skip them as soon as I can. For the most part, my life is about 99% ad/commercial-free and 95% social media-free. (I am on a few fitness apps as well as Goodreads and Reddit, but only lurk. I’m also on Fark and occasionally comment, but no longer very active.) Fark is a website where people submit news links, so it’s still news. Just gotta not read the comments, although they are overwhelmingly left-leaning.
I do stay informed, however. I read the New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN… I think I listed several on my last post. I also read books, like the last one I read that didn’t have to do with running was How Fascism Works by Jason Stanley. Such a good book. I did watch the news on election night. I started by bouncing back and forth between NBC and CNN, and eventually settled on CNN. I’ve been watching CNN nearly every day for almost two weeks now because I really like Jake Tapper, Anderson Cooper, Chris Cuomo, and Don Lemon and although the election is over, there’s still a lot going on. I think this week I’ll wean myself off that and start listening to the CNN podcasts on Spotify. For news, I read. For music, I use Spotify and Pandora. For television, I use Netflix and occasionally Hulu or Amazon Prime. The only drawback to living an ad-free life is all the monthly subscriptions. They add up. But unlike a lot of people, I only eat out a few times a year and make all of my coffee at home. Sometimes I drop Hulu for a while. I do subscribe to the New York Times, and just block JavaScript on the WaPo articles to get around the obnoxious paywall. Jeff Bezos owns it anyway, and fuck that guy.
Speaking of greedy billionaires, I’ve been watching the hummingbirds out on my patio and have named a couple after them. The species of hummingbird we get here (Anna’s) are year-round residents. They don’t migrate. Upon learning this, I have decided to leave my feeder out and keep fresh nectar in it and even add a little extra sugar while it’s cold out. My neighbors must have neglected theirs (they’re still out but no one is feeding from them) because I now have four birds who spend all day fighting over my feeder. I think it’s three males and one female. There was one little guy who started perching on the Japanese Maple and guarding the feeder, chasing away anyone who dared come near. I named him Jeffrey (Bezos). Greedy little fucker. Then Jeffrey was ousted by an older male (I can tell he’s older because more of his pink head feathers have come in). This little guy now stands guard on the tiny tree and chases away intruders searching for a snack. I call him William (Gates). William comes out as early as dawn, before the sun has come up. But at dusk, right after the sun sets, all four commit to a peace treaty and feed together. A couple of nights ago I watched all four of them feed at once. It was adorable. I’d love to get a photo of that, but it’s just too dark.
Here are a couple of photos I took of William this week:
