Step 1
Scroll through Instagram. You follow three news organisations that post frequently enough to keep you hooked. But there are so many ads. Each ad wants you to be a good neoliberal citizen and buy products that make you more attractive, more healthy, and more organised. Passively doom-scroll the vortex of your phone. Browse the news headlines, look at the pictures, swipe through the carousels, and avoid the ads.
Step 2
Realise the sun has set. The room is dark. Is this what addiction looks like? Turn the lights on. Stretch. That’s better. Stare at your phone again.
Step 3
Repeat steps 1-2 countless times. Then press firmly on the Instagram app icon and hit ‘delete’. Whoah. That felt good.
Step 4
Pick up your phone. Search for Instagram. Realise it’s gone. Open your browser. Look up one of those news orgs.
Step 5
Browse the headlines. Spot a juicy story. It’s not quite news. It makes you want to reach for some popcorn. It’s fluff like the VMAs, method dressing, and hot takes on why Heated Rivalry or Bridgerton are required viewing for the modern woman. Get distracted before finishing each article.
Step 6
Every time you unlock your phone, absent-mindedly open your browser and look at that news site. You’ve replaced your Instagram addiction with the news. It’s a trade you’re willing to make. The sun just set again.
Step 7
Open a story that’s not fluff. It’s the Epstein files. It’s Pauline Hanson. It’s the climate crisis. It’s war. It’s Trump. It’s like staring at a car crash when you know you should protect your heart and look away. Look at you. You are so worldly. And the world is a scary place.
Step 8
Keep scrolling. Talk about the news with friends. Have a basic stance on what’s happening. Yeah, you’re addicted. Yeah, you might buy that thing. But at least you’re not a passenger. You’re an intellectual now. If you wanted to, you could read an entire article.
Step 9
Read an entire article. Every paragraph. Even that thought-provoking conclusion that the journalist thoughtfully crafted. Eyes wide. The world is vast. You look up. Just in time for the sunset. Take it in.
