You don't have to read this.
Seriously, it's OK. I get it.
Hahah I wonder what my open rates will be like on this post with a title like that.
But I really do mean it. There is SO MUCH FREAKING CONTENT out there (here?) on the internets, and in our inboxes, and it’s just not possible to read it all.
I’ve been feeling increasingly stressed out and annoyed by this fact of late—even though it is, in fact, an embarrassment of riches. Important news stories! Excellent essays! Fabulous humor!
I could spend hours every week reading Substacks alone. I subscribe to 29 (!!) at present, though some of them I rarely read. (And some are published only very occasionally, God bless them.) But 30 is nothing; when I get new subscribers, I can see how many Substacks they subscribe to, and some of you crazy kids are getting 50, 80, or even hundreds of the things. Do you actually read them all? Does your blood pressure not spike every time you look at your inbox? Are you OK??
In addition to Substacks, I get newsletters and daily digests from the newspapers and magazines I subscribe to—The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Guns and Ammo, Penthouse—plus The Skimm and Lit Hub and assorted others.
And that’s just the stuff in my inbox. Add in the things people post on social that I want to read or watch, the podcasts I want to listen to, all the TV shows and movies instantly available and accumulating exponentially….it’s too fucking much, people!!
The irony? Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed that I (figuratively) run away screaming and scroll mindlessly through social media or play Spelling Bee instead. And then that makes me more stressed, because why am I not using that time to consume ALL THE CONTENT?? And/or why aren’t I reading a damned book, for that matter? The overload has definitely cut into the time I spend reading actual books, and the attention span I have when I do. It’s a sort of content paralysis—freezing in the headlights of the onslaught.
Related: The times my husband and I spend 45 minutes on a Friday night deciding what movie to watch of the 14 gazillion options available to us, and eventually give up and watch old episodes of 30 Rock or Flight of the Conchords instead. Again.
I know this is not some novel sentiment I’m expressing here. People have been talking about information overload for years. But what occurs to me lately is that it’s not so much the volume of readily available content itself that’s stressful; it’s about the volume of choices we have to make as a result.
A subtle distinction, I know, but stick with me.
An anecdote: Last summer, when I was on my annual AMC Hut hike in the White Mountains with my fave hiking pals, some really bad weather rolled in in advance of the second day of our hike—heavy rain, high winds, limited visibility. Our plan for that day had been to hike from the hut where we spent the first night across the Presidential Ridge to the next hut—a route entirely above treeline, fully exposed to the elements, where people die of hypothermia every year, even in summer. For us to go ahead with that hike, that day, as planned would have been abjectly dangerous and stupid.
As we were discussing our plans with other hikers (everyone at the hut was reshuffling and rethinking, comparing notes and asking each other for advice and opinions), one man, a father hiking with his young son, listened to our group’s situation, smiled, and said “freedom!”
I knew instantly what he meant: not that we were free to do whatever we wanted. Rather, just the opposite. We were free from having to choose.
We had no choice (if we valued our safety, and that of area rescue volunteers) but to spend another night at the hut, and then do our planned hike the next day, when the forecast was supposed to be clear. We’d bypass the next hut and go straight down to our car, which was waiting for us at the other end of the ridge. Simple. (And, fortunately, we were able to have our reservation for the next hut transferred to the hut we were currently at.)
There was no firehose of factors and options to consider, and no choices to make except along the lines of, “should we play Yahtzee again, or take another nap?” Bonus: No internet to add more entertainment possibilities or “I really should catch up on my Substack reading…” to the mix.
Freedom.
Truly, to be stuck for a day, free from decisions, free from obligations, free from content overload, was the most relaxed I’d felt in ages.
Free because I didn’t have as much freedom as usual.
Granted, I wouldn’t have wanted to be stuck at the hut another day. The only thing worse than too much freedom is no freedom at all.
Likewise, one channel, one newspaper, one book, one author, one TV series—that would not be so great. But those days when there were just a handful of TV channels, and the magazines and newspapers that arrived on your doorstep or that you encountered at the doctor’s office were the only ones you read, and if you didn’t feel like listening to something from your own music collection, you turned on the radio and took your chances—yeah, I miss those days sometimes. A little less choice, a little more freedom.
Also: get off my lawn, kids.
Anyway, in an attempt to liberate myself a little, I’ve started doing a lot of unsubscribing, reminding myself that I can always resubscribe if I want. I will be curious to see if it makes me feel a little more chill and focused. A little more free. Perhaps you’ll try it too.
Of course, obviously don’t unsubscribe to THIS Substack!!
Just kidding — it’s fine. I get it. I really do.
All posts on Jane’s Calamity are free and publicly available, but writing is how I make my living. If you enjoy my work, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription.
P.S. I actually really hate the word “content.”
P.P.S. I don’t really subsribe to Guns & Ammo and Penthouse, in case you were wondering. I just like to keep you on your toes.
P.P.P.S. The paperback of The Society of Shame drops in two weeks, and is available for pre-order now! If you choose it for your book group (it makes for very juicy discussion!) I would LOVE to pop in via Zoom and say hello and answer questions, schedule permitting. I might even send you some nifty bookmarks…. Contact me at janeroper (at) gmail.com
"There is SO MUCH FREAKING CONTENT out there." Garrison Keillor was asked how we can encourage more people to write. He said we should encourage more people not to write : )
Thank you for this. It's so real, and I've been feeling it and thinking about it for a long time too. I distinctly remember an article on how choice creates unhappiness in NY Mag in the mid-aughts, which was more related to having too many restaurants, bars, entertainment options to choose from at any given moment living in NYC. But you've perfectly expressed how this has snowballed for all of us digitally. Thank you. I'm glad this is the Substack I *chose* to start my day with!