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| Endless possibilities: YouTube |
Many months ago now (well before covid-19), I cut ties with regular television. I had been contemplating it for years. I went back to school online to get another degree, and had less time to waste. Telus pissed me off, yet again. Plus, there were new, less mainstream choices to explore. So now we have Netflix and a few streaming services. But my favourite? Definitely YouTube.
When I told my daughter YouTube was my new favourite "station," she joked, "What are you watching Dad? Make-up tutorials?" Nope. But almost everything else: short films, European talk shows, how-to draw videos, Ted Talks, renovation clips, people seeking attention...and old clips of shows from my youth (I missed you Bionic Man), family reunions, adoption stories, old music videos. Similar to the time I binge-watched Parks & Recreation, YouTube is lifting me up, boosting my mental health. I love the variety, current content and awkward clips from the past. I love the way the algorithms make choices for me; I love trying to find the threads between these choices. I love watching people be creative. It inspires me. I take notes. I make plans. I know, I know; I'm not dumb: it's all about the dopamine, it's all about longing for less fraught times, and I admit that currently, much of this time-killer is passive consumption. I should be writing/creating/working. But, like some of you I suspect (?), I still need some extra down time to percolate, before I fully face the weary world again. Thanks for being my newest babysitter YouTube...gotta go now and watch the original Wonder Woman spin around and save the world.
