The Weight Is Optional

From the first episode of Galaxy brain when Hank Green is asked about how the internet feels to him:

it feels so heavy. It feels, we have a government run by the discourse, and so it feels like the discourse matters so much. It feels like everything matters a lot, and I don't know that it does, but I don't know that it doesn't.
It just feels, it all feels very heavy. It's very hard. You know, you can go have a fun time in some corners, but it's always sort of tinged with the weight."

He goes on to talk about changing YouTube titles to play to the algorithm. Making them more outrage-driven just to get views. Hating it but doing it anyway because that's what works.

This is it exactly. The internet is heavy because it's convinced everyone that everything matters urgently and you need to care right now. This company did something terrible. That person said something wrong. Look at this achievement. Buy this course. Get angry. Get inspired. React. Share. Do something.

I just don't give a shit about most of it.

Not the real things that actually matter. But the manufactured urgency? The constant noise demanding my attention? The engagement farming dressed up as activism or self-improvement? No thanks.

Everyone knows it's broken. Creators hate making clickbait titles but do it anyway. I hate clicking them but the algorithm only shows me those. We're all stuck playing a game nobody actually wants to play. The system rewards the worst version of everything, so that's what we get.

The weight isn't real. It's just very good at feeling real when you're scrolling through it. Every feed is designed to make you think you're missing something if you don't engage right now with whatever fresh outrage or inspiration is being served up.

I've found my corners. RSS feeds. My own website. Places without algorithms. Being bored beats being constantly engaged with things that don't actually matter. The weight is optional. You just have to stop picking it up.