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A Few Thoughts About Scrolling
Do not stop scrolling.
Just keep going, but pay attention.
As your thumb slides up that screen over and over, feel into what you want.
What do you still want that you didn’t get, each time you scroll to the next thing? (This is counter-intuitive, because you’re not going to want to stay awake. The system is designed to lull you to sleep.)
I’m saying, along with Rumi, “Don’t go back to sleep.”
Easier said than done. How do we push back on a brilliantly designed, culturally sanctioned, ubiquitous lullaby?
One way is to educate ourselves about what our unconsciousness does for the powers that be. I dare you to read this article about the movie “The Social Dilemma.” In it, Philip Sledge says, “There were multiple times while watching The Social Dilemma where I wanted to get rid of all my social media accounts, turn off my phone, and throw it out the window. And while that’s admittedly a little dramatic, the film will more than likely have that same effect on you.” In fact, I dare you to watch the movie.
Both the movie and the article came out in September 2020. Since then, we’ve been through a pandemic, an insurrection, too many mass shootings to even…
