Swipe.  

Next reel. 

Swipe.  

Next Tik Tok. 

Again. Again. Again. Again. It never ends. The algorithm feeds you more. It gives you what you want. It gives you what you don’t want but can’t help but watch. It chooses, out of a million billion videos, what you watch next. And you sit there and let it. That sweet rush of dopamine. But you don’t choose. That’s part of the alure. You are no longer responsible for the media you consume; you forfeit almost all agency in choosing the next reel.  

I’m here to show you that it doesn’t have to be this way.  

Zoom out. Its 2012, we were in a DVD store. What was it called? Video-Ezy, I think.  We were young, 8 or so, running down the isles choosing a video to rent. I think we chose ‘The Lorax’, and I remember the feeling of anticipation rising in my chest, feeling like I might bubble over with excitement. Do you remember? 

Zoom in. It’s my 3rd hour scrolling, its 2am and I have class at 9 tomorrow. The blue light stings my eyes. I can’t remember a single meaningful reel I’ve watched. I’m alone.  

Zoom out once more. We’re in our flat, arguing about what movie to put on, I say 500 days of summer, you say Surfs Up. We compromise and watch one after the other. I’ve never felt more content.  

In this golden age of information, media consumption has become a hobby, if not a full-time job. Media consumption has come to mean scrolling: The act of consuming short form videos, usually on Instagram or TikTok. But this is a form of media consumption where we have little to no control over what we actually consume. Sure, you can take your pick out of a selection of reels presented to you on the search page, but more often than not on Instagram, you are taken to the “Reels” screen after clicking a mildly interesting post; on TikTok, you are automatically on the “For you page” (FYP). We’re going to disregard YouTube shorts and snapchat spotlight because nobody outside of cave dwelling neanderthals and people who have time limits on their other app and are desperate for a scroll (me), use them. 

 So, what’s the issue? Once you are on this screen, that’s it, that’s all the choice you have until you get off that screen. Once you’ve chosen to open reels or the FYP, every next video is chosen for you.  

Now, I present you an alternative. When consuming media of other forms, such as long form content (YouTube, podcasts), movies, and books, as well as magazines and even art, you have almost entirely independent agency over what you consume. You are get to actually think: “hmm, what should I watch/listen-to/read next? You are forced to engage with the act of choosing, and that makes all the difference. 

 I hear you saying, “But you only have as much choice as your environment provides, you can only choose between films you have access too; you are constrained by your environment” and to that I say “yea, obviously” but with the recent rise of online piracy (if buying isn’t ownership, piracy isn’t theft, BTW), you have available to you roughly 500,000 films, and millions of books. So, I’d argue that the constraint you mention is almost negligible.  

In a capitalist society that has commodified our attention, conditioned us, and attempts to keep us consuming as long as possible, the independent agency to decide on what media we consume is more important then ever. Part of this is the ethics of consumption. When you consume a piece of media, you are supporting both the creator of the media, as well as the platform on which you watch it. This forces us to confront rejecting a platform or creator which we don’t want to support, even if we enjoy the content, which is where choice comes back into play. If you choose what to consume, rather than letting the algorithm choose for you, you have much more say in the creators and platforms you support. So, by scrolling through reels or TikTok, you are giving up the ability to decide which creators to support, as you automatically support the reels you are given by the almighty algorithm. 

Our society has been fundamentally changed throughout history by the invention of new forms of media. First, the printing press, then radio, with film following closely. But none have changed us so much as short form content. Don’t get me wrong, it makes sense, in a world that wants to squeeze money and attention out of every second, it’s easier to watch a 100 thirty second clips, and have 60 be a waste of time, then it is to watch a one-hour long film, which you may or may not like. Our monkey brain would rather eat 100 berries with some of them tasting bad, then to spend an hour climbing the tallest tree for the banana that’s better for you. It is the natural progression of a world built on constant productivity and efficiency. But I think we are going about this the wrong way: Media was never meant solely to entertain; it was for more then to provide an escape. It was created to make us feel something, to make us confront ourselves and the world around us, to show the world a piece of yourself. And I admit, you do find that in short form content, I see slices of humanity all the time, but short form as a whole is a corrupt, warped version of media, with the purpose of providing an audience for advertisement, pumping out revenue to big corporations. And true, YouTube and podcasts are not so far removed from short form content, they are both available due to Ad revenue, and both have elements of an algorithm that recommend you new content. You are right. My manifesto isn’t perfect, but I would say that the way that we consume YouTube and podcast content is vastly different to the way we consume short form content: We watch with much more intention, engaging with the things that positively contribute to our lives. While they are similar, they are different where it counts.  

So where does this all point towards? If you have just read the last 1040 words then you may be receptive to this, if not, you are too far gone I’m afraid. But the pinnacle of this concept is to engage with the media you consume. Be intentional. Theres no need to cut short form content out altogether (where else am I gonna see Luigi Mangione edits and  30 second eco-terrorism tutorials??) But resist the urge to sink into what we call a “scroll-hole.” Your mind was meant for more than to be spoon fed dopamine. It was created to analyse, to learn, to explore the world. So go out and let it do this, watch a thought-provoking movie, read Dostoevsky (trust me, it’ll be a mental work out) or listen to two people discuss a complex topic on a podcast. Let your head work a little! Let it chew through difficult ideas and churn a thought around for a little while. It gets easier, I promise. But more than anything, Choose.