YouTube is Fucking Me Up, Too
Tin-clad Red Fire Door, c. 1920.
YouTube is fucking me up, too. I thought I was above it; I'd deleted all the Google-owned apps from my phone (which isn't easy... they own a lot of stuff that doesn't bear their name), and only watched YouTube on my AppleTV through a VPN that thinks I'm in Chicago. But I think a lot of my purchasing lately has been driven by videos I watched (on watches, for example). Sure, I can delete the watch channels I watch (sorry), and I already pay for YouTube Premium to avoid the ads... but I don't think that will fix anything. And to be honest, I think it's worse than just driving my consumerism. I think it's short-circuiting the focus and reward systems in my brain.
So, I decided to delete YouTube from the AppleTV, quit paying to avoid ads there, and donate to PBS instead (and get that Passport thing so I can watch old episodes of Antiques Roadshow on demand, which is what I watch when the news just makes me sick).
It makes me a little sad, because I've learned a lot from YouTube (including about photography)... but maybe visiting the library more often will prove a healthy replacement.