OP: ruby (@shinyredrock on TikTok and Substack, who i got this idea from)
are you tired of the constant brain rot that is today’s social media? does this media enhance your life in any way? is social media a point of stress in your life where you are finding yourself constantly comparing yourself to others? or is it just the main stressor in your life?
let’s start off with this: what is brain-rotting? i’m going to show my age here, but i will use the urban dictionary definition: when someone has a crippling addiction to low effort content. i have personally consumed a lot of “brain rot” media as it is everywhere. i cannot seem to get away from this kind of content. even when i try to redirect my algorithm on whatever social media i am on, i can never seem to escape it. what i didn’t notice was how stressed and overstimulated this content makes me feel. the constant “doom scrolling”, as we call it, has taken over my life and i wanted to do something about it.
now, what is brain-watering? it took some time to find a somewhat good definition for this term. so, i will give you the one i found and then how i interpret this term. one online resource states that brain-watering is “an intellectual thirst, as when one has worked all day at a mindless task and only wants to consume fulfilling media.” i believe this definition captures the essence of what brain-watering is. how i would like to describe brain-watering is a refinement of consumed media through whatever channel you choose to consume it from. for me, i went through all the 700+ people that i followed on tiktok, and unfollowed any creator that did not post fulfilling media in my eyes. although there is some media that i do not find fulfilling for myself, it does not mean that it might not be fulfilling or entertaining to you. what my brain determines as non-fulfilling does not determine what kind of media you should consume.
this whole idea for me to change the way i interacted with social media was through a tiktok by ruby (@shinyredrock). she introduced the term on her tiktok that showed different kinds of media that she considers “brain-watering”. her suggestions were articles right here on substack (she suggested milk and cookies), articles by the Atlantic, video essays on youtube, podcasts that peak your interest, books, and movies that show powerful and artistic animation. this, of course, does not have to be the only kind of media you have to consume. these are merely suggestions of media that she consumes herself that she find fulfilling.
i took a similar approach to what she did to test the waters of this “brain-watering” concept. like i mentioned before, i unfollowed a massive amount of people on tiktok and tried to curate my fyp to what i want it to be. i downloaded substack and have been constantly reading different articles about social media, religion, society today, and many other articles that have peaked my interest. i put a new focus mode on my phone that only allows texts from my most important people, apps that help me to get away from social media, and keep all distractions out when needed. i am also focusing on being in my bible more, studying the word, and meditating on my religious life.
so, if you are like me and what to cut out all the distracting media or “brain rot”, giving this concept of “brain watering” might not hurt. i have only been doing it for a week or so, but i am starting to feel less stressed and less worried about the world of social media. i am taking control of my own electronic world around me and using it how i want to, seeing what i want to, and viewing what i want to.
aww the fact I inspired someone is so heart-warming and that my term brain watering resonated so strongly w you💕