Honestly I don’t know why anyone has a problem avoiding YouTube suggestions. I go in, search for the product I want to know about and click on the one I know to be reliable like Loopop, watch it and then leave the app. I don’t rely on it to suggest music or anything else to me. Same thing with Google searches etc. The internet can still be used as a tool for research no problem. Just be picky about what you click and everything’s good. Other social media is a problem for sure, though, so I limit my use of it for what I want and nothing more. Seriously, turn off notifications!
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I often set a timer for casual internet browsing and no goal youtubing etc, I don’t want to click and swipe away too much of my ‘creative’ time.
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Totally agree with OP about the internet and socials, and GAS. Have spent more time on all that then making music for sure. I only have Facebook for social and limit usage. Try to only watch videos of gear I own. Works sometimes 
I haven’t a creative bone in my body. I just steal like an artist.
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Wonder why all the nofap hate, is everyone scared of reddit words? Addiction to masturbation/porn is very much in line with addiction to social media.
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Revenge of Flower Pot Guy from eBay!
It’s probably because some of the people on reddit in the nofap community made some rather outlandish claims about the benefits of abstaining.
I can see how for some people doing it less or abstaining entirely can help, if they otherwise use it as a kind of distraction from focussing on long term goals. Same things can be said about binge watching netflix, playing video games, browsing social media, etc.
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The Incel and Semen Retention cults are creepy as hell.
If you don’t see why people are weirded out by the rants you may be out of touch.
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I think people underestimate how much they’re swayed by those recommended videos, even if they don’t click on them. It’s all designed for people to keep watching.
I actually run a firefox extension that nukes all recommended videos and other BS I didn’t ask to see. I know I’m not immune to propaganda 
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Who mentioned subscribing to these ideals? Intentional abstention from masturbation existing long before the internet! OP never mentioned Incel shit. Do we all think cleaning our room is bad because Jordan Peterson claimed it to be good?
Apologies for going too far off topic, I don’t really need to weigh in further here.
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This is absurdism to handwave away what is known, that ideology DOES spread via these regressive “self help” cults.
Confused and insecure men need daddies to tell them how to live, and thus are radicalized.
Enforced chastity and sexual control is endemic to cults.
Edit: Anyway, other aspects of this post are fine, enough fixation on this one.
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hmm… well i was born in 81. i cut off social media of all sorts ages ago - it kinda helps 
cutting out the news helps most but its hard to do.
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I feel so lucky my ignorance has swayed me from social media as much as watching the news. I don’t care to know what doesn’t matter to me or my family. I’ll fire up YT to watch a tutorial on gear or listen to music but that’s about it.
Though I suppose this forum is some form of SM but I rather like talking gear with guys and gals just as pent up as myself.
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agreed - ive been thru a LOT with this pandemic. loss etc. what has really helped is just playing with my toys and talking to others about what they’re doing. im fairly certain if i keep to just living right and playing with neat boxen, life would be pretty good
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Turn off the news, watching won’t make it change. Good/bad news always finds you. Worry about it then and keep living.
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this has been my exact experience! the important news finds you somehow. you really dont need to be in the loop - especially if you have twitch an obsessive hobby twitch - i’ve got the dream team coming to my porch on monday - honestly - thinking about selling my lcd monitors and just using my laptop. only using it for youtube tutorials these days!! i just cant find any gear i’d buy with the proceeds 
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Some interesting thoughts in this thread…
I kind of feel the other way around on a lot of this stuff. I have been absent from social media for years, since its inception pretty much, and got on the manic paranoid privacy train pretty early on. With that said, I’ve started slowing coming back to social media and online communities because frankly I don’t know anyone in real life who makes/listens to the kind of music I’m into, and realized somewhat recently that I create music in a vacuum.
There’s certainly something to be said for that, and creation is an end to itself, but I wanted to involve myself more in communities of other musicians/music lovers so that I can learn and participate in the larger electronic music scene.
For that, social media has been pretty cool. With that said, free time these days is at somewhat of a premium, so as others have said, when I have time to make music, I generally jump on it. I’m not much of a musician all told, but I have a borderline obsessive relationship with it; I think about it constantly, and so usually get most of my social media fuck around time out of my system in short breaks during the workday when I couldn’t otherwise be making music. As soon as the free time window opens up, it’s a beeline for the gear.
Some controversial stuff in this thread I guess but enjoying hearing everyone’s opinions on all the attention grabbers and how the can inspire/stifle our creativity.
Similar train of thought here, I get really depressed when I’m not making music, at the same time I work long hours and I don’t feel like doing it after work. I go home after a 10 hour shift (nights). I plop on the couch after my shift and waste hours of endless scrolling. Looking at gear online rather than playing my digitone. I’m addicted and It sucks.
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Yes! You reminded me of this opinion piece that was ironically published on the Guardian:
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I knew early on that the news was suspicious having moved around a ton when young. No matter what state/city I was in it was the same nonsense that had no bearing on me or my surroundings. Though those that tuned in where compelled by other problems and assholery. It always left me feeling that mediocrity was goal rather than growth. Make good in life and leave the negativity behind.
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