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Thoughts on Mindless Scrolling and Kate Baer's "Reasons to Log Off"

Photo by Maxim Ilyahov on Unsplash

Despite struggling with perfectionism and being an Enneagram 1, I can be messy. I have a Pinterest board dedicated to minimalism, yet I'm prone to piles and clutter. The inside of my head has felt cluttered lately. I work in education and travel between five different schools, which is overwhelming on a typical day, but especially when the end of the school year is near, and there's more work than time.

I tend to scroll when I sense the clutter building up in my head. I love to read and watch television, but instead of engaging with a story, I'll pick up my phone and scroll through Instagram or TikTok. It's essential to my mental health to curate life-giving social media feeds, and I've done that, but I still see things I'd rather not see sometimes.

As I considered what poem I wanted to share this week, I knew right away it was this one:

“Reasons to Log Off” by Kate Baer

The girl who said she could never eat a second slice
of pizza my senior year of college is doing really well.
My cousin posts a photo of a loaded gun. Have I ever
heard of the Second Amendment? Have I ever heard
of this new recipe? Cauliflower, a hint of lemon, some
chopped-up ginger root. Hey, do you want to lose
weight in only thirty minutes? Hey, can I have just a
moment of your time? Click here to receive a special
invitation. Click here if you want to believe in God.
Tomorrow there's a Pride walk to support the right to
marry. One comment says: I will pray for your affliction.
Another says: I hope you trip, fall down, and die.
Swipe up to find my new lip filler. Scroll down to read
why these four girls were horribly afraid. Greg is
asking for your number. Greg wants to send a
big surprise.

Social media has been a true gift in my life. I follow many incredibly creative and inspiring people (including Kate Baer!), yet even that can be an issue if I'm not in a good headspace. I fall into the trap of comparison so easily. If I feel I'm lacking something, seeing the fashion blogger I admire with her $3,000 handbag doesn't do me any good. Likewise, when I struggle with writing, coming across a brilliant poem or essay that's getting a lot of engagement can be challenging. 

Despite some of the goodness in my feeds, I noticed recently that social media was adding to the clutter in my head instead of allowing me to escape from it. There was just so much stuff: videos, music, ads, headlines, comments, likes, arguments, obscene wealth, and heartbreaking loss. Baer highlights the different facets of social media, and seeing them grouped in her poem is a powerful reminder of why the mindless scrolling I was doing was no longer relaxing. No matter how well I curate my feeds, there will always be a lot of noise. There will always be a Greg.

As I've cut back on my screen time over the past couple of weeks, I've noticed an improvement in my headspace. I've turned to books and writing to deal with my burnout which is much better for me than watching another unboxing video (though the Sephora ones always get me). 

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What strikes you about the poem above? How do you manage your scrolling and feeds? I’d love to hear your thoughts.