Is Your Mood Entirely Dependent On A Toxic And Noisy Online Algorithm? You Should Try Doing Stuff!

CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT

With housing stress and the cost-of-living crisis forcing Australians into smaller and darker living quarters with less to spend, it’s never been easier to fall into a spiral of nihilistic doom and vicarious parasocialising.

The modern phenomena of ‘screen time’ feels a lot like the new normal – but there are still a fair few people out there who are able to get by without keeping up to date with every single news story of short-lived internet trend to ever take place at any given time.

These people might have less to talk about in their ever-pinging group chats – but it could be argued that this lack off noise also brings them peace.

This is a much different life than the one lived by the vast portion of the population who cannot fathom an existence that doesn’t don’t revolve around the highly politicised and extremely emotive social media algorithms that have caused an epidemic of rattled nervous systems and extremely polarising politics.

With 24-hour access to non-stop communication, media and data – it seems that screen addictions are starting to eat away at sleep too.

And for those that can eventually switch off from the highly complex drip-feed of algorithmic endorphin hits designed by billionaires in San Francisco and Shenzen, the habit of staring into a phone before bed is just as normal as staring back into it the moment they wake up.

But did you know that sources of dopamine can also be found outside of the 6.7 inch screens that contain all of the information in the world.

Historically speaking, generations of people used to ration out their conversations with friends because phone calls and handwritten letters used to cost a lot of a fair bit of money and were never instant. So, instead of constantly forwarding each other mildly entertaining pieces of online content, human beings would just make sure they caught up in person.

This tradition of leaving the house to take part in activities is still very popular for some – even if it is viewed as a lacklustre attempt to take a break from the technology that rules our lives.

Still, it’s worth a try. Particularly if you feel your mood can be spoiled by constantly ingesting photos of the most beautiful and rich people you’ve ever seen, interspersed with horrifically violent images from war zones and crime scenes.

It is often forgotten that you can literally just go outside and not do that.

But ‘Doing stuff’ – as it’s called, isn’t necessarily something that needs to be done in a group setting. You can do stuff by yourself too.

Here’s a list of 8 fairly affordable ways of doing stuff – which can be just as fun as fulfilling as watching a grainy video of a CEO ruin his life by having an affair with a colleague at an expensive music concert on the other side of the world.

1. Ride a bicycle through a high foliage public space

If you don’t have a bike – ask a friend or neighbour to borrows theirs. We aren’t trying to win the Tour De France here. Just take it to the outskirts of your town, or a public parklands within your city, and ride it.

2. Go for a swim at the local pool

While some people will argue that ‘going for a swim’ is something that only rich people who live in oceanside mansions can do – it should be remembered that post-war Australian town-planning placed a heavy emphasis on ensuring that public pools were built all over the nation. You can swim laps, or just go for a dip. Either way, you’ll never regret a swim – even if it’s cold.

3. Put on a feed

One fairly human activity – that brings just as much joy as watching a celebrity’s downfall due to outdated and politically incorrect tweets – is to cook for others. If your house is too small for that – then use a public barbecue. Either way, there’s very few things that feel as good as absolutely nailing an experimental meal from RecipeTin start-to-finish.

4. Look at shit

Before the entire world felt the need to argue over culture wars – people would often spend their downtime visiting art galleries or museums. Most of them are free, and even the most seemingly boring topics can be very interesting. You’d be surprised by just how enthralling it is to learn about the early human history of your own town. What does it tell you about yourself? You won’t know unless you visit.

5. Get pissed!

Sometimes it pays to sporadically consume ten standard drinks and talk absolute shit. It’s not something you should do too often, and it’s fairly anti-social to do it alone, but it is worth doing. Even just once or twice a year. As they say, everything in moderation – including moderation!

6. Be a flirt

This is more for the singles out there, but again, plenty of married men and women have found a spring in their step after exchanging compliments with a complete stranger. Adds a bit of spice to your life – and it’s fair healthier than looking at the softcore pornography posted by personal acquaintances on Instagram.

7. Join a friend for a drive across town

Next time your friend needs to go to an unfamiliar suburb or town to pick up a couch, or a second hand lawn mower, why not just jump in for the ride. You might even stop and get a feed somewhere. Or impulsively run some other errands you’d forgotten about. Political scandals and celebrity gossip comes and goes – but you’ll remember going for a drive on a Sunday afternoon for a lifetime.

8. Go to the flicks

Don’t let Big Tech dictate the culture you consume. Sure, they have all the data to know how to keep someone clicking ‘next episode’ – but is this kind of formulaic rubbish really the best insight in the human condition. It’s better to rely on chronological release dates and word of mouth. Leave the house and go watch that movie that you heard somebody talking about. On a massive screen with really loud speakers.