I recognize this feeling and have had it for a long time. "Data hunger" is what I've heard it called by some of my peers in the autistic community 😅 I remember when I was a kid reading through encyclopedias wanting to learn ALL the things. Last year (at 40) I bought a big beautiful coffee table book mainly because it purported to have pictures of every bird species known to humans 😅 and human experience is definitely a thing I'll do random deep dives on. Wake up one day and go y'know I know very little about what it's like to be a person who lives in Mauritania how can I learn about that?
I can usually keep the perspective of "isn't it amazing that the world is complex and multifaceted and everything is more complicated than you think." But sometimes it is real frustrating not to have an "end of feed" notification for my brain 😅
A completist - oh my word, hard relate! It’s only in recent years I’ve allowed myself to stop reading books I’m not enjoying! And yes, the constant need to have a clear Substack inbox 🤦🏽♀️
I've only just had chance to read this, and funnily enough, only this morning I was fantasising about the "you're all caught up for now" message at the end of the old Facebook scroll that I would ensure I always got to so I knew I'd got to the 'end'! And I feel absolutely the same about substack, every time I subscribe to a new publication I die a little inside cos I know I'm not going to be able to take in their work as much as I really wish I could (i.e it all). I have so many books and things I want to read and learn about and do and enjoy, and there is literally nowhere near enough hours to do it all! And I don't even watch any TV! It's totally wonderful and overwhelming and frustrating all at once!
I hate infinite scroll because it makes it really hard to stop looking at the internet and transition to doing something else, even if I'm not actively enjoying it. The thought that there might be something interesting if I keep scrolling is enough to keep me going. 😕 I ended up deleting the Substack app for this reason.
I hear you. Sometimes it’s all too much information. And I need to shut out all of it. Even though I especially love Substack. All the words in my own head are enough already 😂
Oh my god Sophie you're right! It's the reading and the listening and then the integrating it all together into the world view. It's so tiring :) What a privilege though
This is why I have stacks of books, articles, podcasts saved to “read/ listen to later”. I need another lifetime just for information consumption.
I recognize this feeling and have had it for a long time. "Data hunger" is what I've heard it called by some of my peers in the autistic community 😅 I remember when I was a kid reading through encyclopedias wanting to learn ALL the things. Last year (at 40) I bought a big beautiful coffee table book mainly because it purported to have pictures of every bird species known to humans 😅 and human experience is definitely a thing I'll do random deep dives on. Wake up one day and go y'know I know very little about what it's like to be a person who lives in Mauritania how can I learn about that?
I can usually keep the perspective of "isn't it amazing that the world is complex and multifaceted and everything is more complicated than you think." But sometimes it is real frustrating not to have an "end of feed" notification for my brain 😅
A completist - oh my word, hard relate! It’s only in recent years I’ve allowed myself to stop reading books I’m not enjoying! And yes, the constant need to have a clear Substack inbox 🤦🏽♀️
I've only just had chance to read this, and funnily enough, only this morning I was fantasising about the "you're all caught up for now" message at the end of the old Facebook scroll that I would ensure I always got to so I knew I'd got to the 'end'! And I feel absolutely the same about substack, every time I subscribe to a new publication I die a little inside cos I know I'm not going to be able to take in their work as much as I really wish I could (i.e it all). I have so many books and things I want to read and learn about and do and enjoy, and there is literally nowhere near enough hours to do it all! And I don't even watch any TV! It's totally wonderful and overwhelming and frustrating all at once!
I hate infinite scroll because it makes it really hard to stop looking at the internet and transition to doing something else, even if I'm not actively enjoying it. The thought that there might be something interesting if I keep scrolling is enough to keep me going. 😕 I ended up deleting the Substack app for this reason.
This is why I can't go in massive galleries or museums. So worried I'll miss something amazing!
I hear you. Sometimes it’s all too much information. And I need to shut out all of it. Even though I especially love Substack. All the words in my own head are enough already 😂
Oh my god Sophie you're right! It's the reading and the listening and then the integrating it all together into the world view. It's so tiring :) What a privilege though
Indeed it is. To have access to information and inspiration pretty much for free, at anytime. Can just get a little overwhelming at times!