The Sunday Digest 014

Allow this to be your digital rest stop for the day.

Apr 03, 2022

Welcome to The Sunday Digest — a free Sunday newsletter featuring long (and some short) reads, original columns, things I’ve saved over the last week, relaxing playlists, episodes releases, exclusive product drops, and more. Yes, you can reply to this email. I’d love to hear from you. Or, if podcasts are more your speed on Sundays, we’ve got that too.

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Sunday Read: Doomscrolling got you down? Take a break at a digital rest stop.

by Taylor Lorenz for The Washington Post

This morning, I thought to myself, “Which form of social media would be most beneficial to my mental health if I deleted it today?” The answer, of course, is Twitter. The dark echo chamber of arguments that don’t matter outside the previously mentioned echo chamber. It’s a site only for the strong-willed and mentally deranged — but that’s why we love it.

And no, I’ll never delete it.

With that being said, however, I often find myself trying to find #online ways of relaxing myself when the timeline gets a little too heavy. Meditations, Norwegian Slow TV, relaxing games, the works. Recently, “digital rest stops” have entered the conversation.

So what is a digital rest stop? Lorenz explains—

Digital resting points are videos intentionally created to give people a break from social media. They all follow a similar format: a soothing scene on screen, almost no people, a still camera, soft music or natural sounds. Then, voice-over or text appears: “Congratulations! You’ve reached a digital resting point. Stay as long as you like.”

Do I see a heavy dose of hypocrisy of trying to channel the outside world while staring deep into the black mirror that is your shattered iPhone? Well, yes, of course. But that doesn’t mean I don’t buy in to the reasoning behind it.

Some creators say that producing and consuming digital resting point content is a reaction to late capitalism and how much more online we’ve all become in the past two years. Their rise coincides with the growing popularity of slow living and trends such as cottagecore that embrace a technology-free life. “The very ability to rest has recently been promoted as a political act,” the writer Greta Rainbow wrote in the newsletter Dirt in 2021. “… For everyone on social media, leisure secretly slips into labor.”
Digital resting points remind users of the quiet beauty of the outside world, but they can be consumed only on your phone. Abrao said that’s part of the paradox. “It’s like, okay we created this art about escaping, but at the same time we’re all in the algo that’s giving us the reward for being on our phone,” she said.
The videos have subverted the notion that using TikTok or Instagram is restful. “Social media started out as an escape, social media was the rest stop throughout my day,” said Kish. “Now, with more information and life being brought to those digital spaces, you need a rest stop there too.”

Read in full here.

Sunday Haiku

Where’s the newspaper?

The neighbor steal it again?

Oh, wait, there it is.

Things I Saved This Week

New Episodes of The Sunday Scaries Podcast

Blackout Nights, Peak Relaxation Moments, Wedding Season, and More Listener Questions

This month's listener questions include (but are certainly not limited to) the ideal workday morning routine, the five best occasions to get hammered with little consequence, spring playlists, living in any country outside the United States, making friends at a wedding where you know no one, pre-wedding advice, two ideal coffee table scenarios, the most relaxing thing I've ever done, and a bunch of rapid-fire questions ranging from calming documentaries to Trader Joe's products to Birkenstocks & Socks.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and anywhere else podcasts are found.

Retail Therapy 006: Matching Sets & Auntwave

Whether it was the pandemic or just the shifting vibes, there's been a tangible change when it comes to eclectic fashion — and it may be stemming from our aunts. Barrett and Will dive into the newly coined term 'Auntwave' stemming from Blackbird Spyplane. On the latter half of the episode, they dive into monochromatic fashion and matching sets — from Vanity Fair's Oscar party to airports to your couch. And as always, they make some additions to their running wishlists as well.