The 2024 YouTube 40-day fast...HAS BEGUN

[RhythmDroid]

BACKGROUND
This crazy invention can be benign for some and
a b s o l u t e k r y p t o n i t e for others of us.

I was born in 1981 - I was raised on books, 8-bit cartridge games, and didn’t even see video over the internet until I was 17…and that was a probably less than 300 pixels wide in 16-colors.

Since 2006 YouTube has provided me countless hours of laughs, cries, entertainment, and yes, learning… but I know for a fact that it is pulling me away from who I want to be. I miss who I was before YouTube. I miss my own creations, my own worlds, my own imagination. I miss that whole process of “are you bored, do you want stimulation…then MAKE something in this world”

Whatever neurochemical drip this algorithmic video beast evokes in me, I want to get back to eliciting that from my own creations and imagination while being alive, outside, listening to and making music, walking, painting, talking.

What you do instead of this is up to you. What you do after 40 days is up to you. This is not a “cure yourself from an addiction” promise of any kind…

But in my own experience, some very valuable things have been rendered by intentionally refraining from this medium cold-turkey for a predecided length of time:

1. A feeling of more time having suddenly appeared in the day with which I can use to do things I have been wanting to do for a long time…things which leave me more fulfilled than I would having watched a bunch of semi-random videos
2. A greater sense that everything is going to be OK in the world even if I continue to be so “indulgent” as to try and be an artist. I don’t need to try and solve every deep global or cultural problem I’m made aware of by YouTube
3. The deepest: I began to feel uncomfortable emotions which were always there, trying to tell me that I was consistently not getting certain needs met, and I was not following my inner compass toward my dreams. These emotions were masked for as long as I was regularly resorting to what appeared externally to be a “harmless relaxing pastime”.

DATES
Wednesday, February 14th to Thursday, March 28th inclusive

SIMPLE GUIDELINES

1. This is for YouTube the app and website only, unless specifically stated, YouTube Music is at your discretion.
2. Post in this thread with “I’m in!” or something equally unambiguous–and whether you have any exceptions or provisos (e.g. I still need to use it for learning how to drywall my basement)
3. Please contribute to thread with your experiences, challenges, and VICTORIES

I’ll start:

I’m in! I will still need to use it for instructional videos on construction/remodeling and Native Instruments Reaktor/Kontakt tutorials.

PARTICIPANTS

1. RhythmDroid
2. TheAsp
3. lopodyr
4. Strutter
5. Zacrous12
6. midnightoperator94
7. schoolbabyboy
8. coldfashioned
9. Infinighost
10. HotdogLothario
11. Superunknown
12. joeykaram (last year’s organizer…thank you!)
13. Leonsarmiento
14. whim
15. shuttersound
16. Matoshi
17. circuitghost
18. NGC2020
19. Strangelov3
20. khapankov
21. FNKSTRNG
22. J-Hz
23. Noisebuddy
24. AH
25. kairos
26. rex_mundii
27. jw
28. Habit_Reform
29. Alume
30. victorcampos
31. Antarktyka
32. Rhythmuskorb
33. mpicard
34. CitizenJ
35. gravybaby
36. therealkenchase

[Thespa]

I’m in. The only time I will break the fast is if it’s to show my son something educational.

I will add, if anyone has any tips on how to help achieve this, I’m all ears.

[RhythmDroid]

@Thespa

I will add, if anyone has any tips on how to help achieve this, I’m all ears.

It helps me to know that I was happy and satisfied before YouTube existed–to know that it doesn’t represent anything that was fundamentally “missing” from my life. No desires which were borne by watching YouTube are fundamental must do things in my life.

[error.eyes]

@Thespa

I will add, if anyone has any tips on how to help achieve this, I’m all ears.

Sometimes one has to yell at oneself to do or not do things, even out loud. It can work. I have been doing that for many things for many years, things like not biting my nails, not overeating, not lying, not getting upset when someone cut me off, etc. Telling myself out loud, “dude, chill, don’t do that, don’t go there” makes a huge difference.

[lopodyr]

Actually, good idea. It’s just 40 days, I will probably not miss a ton haha.
My exceptions are:

• I need to access Youtube studio when I upload.
• I may need it for work, but then it should only be used at work, when needed. Colleagues sending a meme doesn’t count as an exception, and will be a NO.
• I may need it for a tutorial on something, but I think that’s unlikely. Even if so, I only get to search for that info, then leave. AND it should be after looking elsewhere for info.

Does that work or is that too many exceptions, too detailed?

[cold_fashioned]

@RhythmDroid

it is pulling me away from who I want to be. I miss who I was before YouTube. I miss my own creations, my own worlds, my own imagination. I miss that whole process of “are you bored, do you want stimulation…then MAKE something in this world”

This bit resonates with me quite strongly. I just may join in solidarity with a YouTube embargo. I think, for me, I’ll need to go cold turkey. The only allowance I’ll give myself is videos that directly pertain to fixing something in my house. Good luck to us all.

[HotdogLothario]

I love the sentiment behind this and am in dire need of a youtube cleanse. i can’t do it though.

[shigginpit]

no.

[Strutter]

Been struggling with this too.
Fucking YouTube…

I’m in.

[RhythmDroid]

@lopodyr

Does that work or is that too many exceptions, too detailed?

detailed exceptions are better because they don’t allow for cracks to slip through = )

[RhythmDroid]

@cold_fashioned

This bit resonates with me quite strongly. I just may join in solidarity with a YouTube embargo. I think, for me, I’ll need to go cold turkey. The only allowance I’ll give myself is videos that directly pertain to fixing something in my house. Good luck to us all.

I’m telling you now, it won’t kill you. It’s 4 sets of 10 days. That’s it.
Shall I consider this post your “I’m in” statement, then, @cold_fashioned ?

@HotdogLothario

I love the sentiment behind this and am in dire need of a youtube cleanse. i can’t do it though.

I can’t speak for you, but for me: There is less shame in trying and failing than not trying at all. Pick your poison, my friend.

[tdwash]

Twitter/X was my problematic tech platform, but I have successfully cut back my consumption by ~90% in the past year by deleting removing the app from my home screen and using screen time/the OneSec app to provide an obstacle to launching the app habitually. Setting and tracking small goals to do more positive and creative habits throughout the day also helps a lot. I applaud your zeal, but I find that total abstinence from useful technology usually backfires. Mindfully using the technology is my goal.

[lopodyr]

tl;dr: WOO!

Great! I’m reading “Stolen Focus” at the moment, and I have a lot of trouble being “in the moment”… since about 2 years. My desire to interact with other musicians has led me to be a bit of a youtube and reddit lurker, in hopes I can help somebody.

Amongst other things, this use of the internet has really tired me out. Turning off wifi in my home sometimes has been fantastic, and I think I will add Reddit and Discord to your challenge proposal, on my end. I don’t need any of the three, but I need to go outside (even though it’s cold).

[Zacrous12]

I’m down

[midnightoperator94]

I’m in!

I feel like lately I’ve actually been pretty good about my youtube usage, but it wasn’t long ago that I was real deep into the youtube nothingness, and really got sick of it.

My single exception is:
My wife and I seem to have decided that Sat/Sun mornings with breakfast we watch a youtube video on the TV. Something funny usually, equivalent to what sunday morning cartoons used to be.

I enjoy spending this time with her while we eat breakfast and since we have things to do we have always just picked one video to watch, then go about our day. To me it’s different from my usage of the youtube app as a total doom scroll, life suck portal.

I’ll try to see if we can do something else instead, but I’m not going to push too hard in this one area. My biggest impact from this fast will be refraining from watching on my laptop, and deleting the app from my phone for the 40 days.

[RhythmDroid]

@midnightoperator94

My wife and I seem to have decided that Sat/Sun mornings with breakfast we watch a youtube video on the TV. Something funny usually, equivalent to what sunday morning cartoons used to be.

I think this is perfectly reasonable…especially with an accountability partner.

@midnightoperator94

but it wasn’t long ago that I was real deep into the youtube nothingness, and really got sick of it.

Have you noticed how so many video titles and thumbnails are spiraling toward the same template?

“You won’t BELIEVE what just happened when I/he/she did THIS”
“This is the ONE thing you need to know about _______”

Seeing this pattern become more and more prevalent has given me a lot of resolve to ditch this cesspool of attention abuse

[RhythmDroid]

@error.eyes

Sometimes one has to yell at oneself to do or not do things, even out loud. It can work. I have been doing that for many things for many years, things like not biting my nails, not overeating, not lying, not getting upset when someone cut me off, etc. Telling myself out loud, “dude, chill, don’t do that, don’t go there” makes a huge difference.

There may actually be neuroscientific backing for this. I don’t know any studies off hand, but I know that for myself, actually saying things out loud can have a stronger effect than just thinking them.

[schoolbabyboy]

im in

power mode is to not use it for anything, even educational things. your time is far better spent going out and gaining that information from a real life human being or a printed, written record. allow absolutely zero excuses and im sure you will find that youtube is not necessary for anything ever.

[RhythmDroid]

@schoolbabyboy

power mode is to not use it for anything, even educational things. your time is far better spent going out and gaining that information from a real life human being or a printed, written record. absolutely zero excuses and im sure you will find that youtube is not necessary for anything ever.

[cold_fashioned]

Yes, I realize my wording was a little ambiguous. Count me in.