On Media Consumption in 2025
For a while, I have disliked the way I consume media. I use spotify for music, I’ve used a mix of legally obtained digital files and streaming services for movies and TV, and physical books for, well, books. But I haven’t been too happy with the way any of these things worked together. Last year I bought a Kobo, and started reading both e-books and classic books, which I really enjoyed. I like carrying a library in my pocket, and I still get to collect books that I want to collect, while not having to make space for books that I’d rather read and not own. A few months ago, I did a 30-day-long challenge to decrease my spending, which included cancelling all my streaming services (except Spotify), and I found that I didn’t even notice that I didn’t have Netflix. I was perfectly content with my library of digital files, and I could get most of what I wanted as a digital download, without resorting to streaming. This really broke the wall for me–if I don’t care about not having Netflix or Disney+ or whatever, what’s to stop me from not using any streaming service? I already hate their business practices, especially Spotify, but the convenience has always outweighed my concience. not anymore!
New Year, New Challenge
It’s a new year, which is always a good time to start a new challenge. A few years ago I read only non-male authors for a whole year, which was wonderful. I also spent a year trying to buy as little clothing as I could, and buying secondhand or sustainably if I had to buy at all. That was a little harder, but that’s a post for another day. This year, the challenge is simple: stop my reliance on media that I don’t personally own.
The Plan (Fuck Spotify)
I’m keeping Spotify for now. I’m just getting that out in the open. I have a duo-plan with my partner and cancelling my subscription would mean them paying double what they are now. I’m not gonna be a dick about that, so I’m keeping the subscription. At the very least, it’ll be useful to find or preview new music before I purchase it. That being said, I’m going to try my best to completely stop my useage of the app day-to-day. This is going to take the form of three deliberate and on-going actions: 1. I will be purchasing an old iPod. Yes, I know, that seems a little wild in the year of our Lord 2025, but hear me out. I don’t want to clog up my phone with gigabytes of my crappy music choices. I also want to be able to listen to music without having to interface with my Attention-Sucking And Depression-Enhancing Device any time I want to search for a particular song. I also like fixing things and learning about technology, so and old iPod to hack seems like a good project and a good way to keep me entertained. ADHD loves novelty, so I hope it’ll also help me keep going on this challenge. 2. I will be purchasing an exterior optical drive for my laptop so I can rip digital files from my current CDs (even though I have but a small collection). In addition, I will be digitizing my record collection, because some of my albums don’t have a digital counterpart (looking at you, Third Man Records recording of The Kills live performance). 3. I will be scouring local thrift stores and second-hand bookshops and such for interesting CDs as a way to find new music, instead of rely on Spotify’s algorithm. I will also be purchasing new music from bands I like from their Bandcamp page or the like.
Another Reason I Hate Spotify
Spotify has made me lose appreciation for albums and artists as whole ideas. Spotify’s curated playlists are great for finding new artists, but if I’m not paying attention, I just breeze by and new artist in the miasma of easy-listening whatever-the-fuck Spotify is putting on for me. I miss the days of deliberately buying a new album, or finding a new band and listening to their entire discography. While I can still do this with Spotify, I find that their app interface deliberately stops me from such endeavors, and tries to lead my attention elsewhere. Like nearly all apps and services at this point in human history, Spotify has evolved itself to be a predator of my attention, hunting me down with their curated lists created from incredibly detailed data-mining. I’m sick of feeling like a prey animal. I’m sick of turning control over to a corporate overlord. It feels hypocritical to listen to a playlist of punk rock curated by a computer. So, I’m done. 2025 will be the year of personal media, for me. 2025 will be the year I take back control over my own entertainment and attention. Fuck Spotify and long live personal media!