Overload in 2026?

[DHR]

Overwhelm is a strong word with many interpretations, but for lack of another, for me in 2026 it pretty much sums up where many things seem to be going off the rails.

Going back 20 to 25 years, I had a handful of forums I enjoyed visiting, projects I watched develop etc. Went to the cinema regularly, collected a few films, a lot of music, went to gigs, and worked. Hell, I even had conversations over email!

They were all things I had to GO and do, but I could do them with little distraction. Now it seems impossible.

Classic phrase, pick your battles. But how do you keep on top of limiting the battles you have to pick from now? Between FOMO, inbox marketing overflow, targeted adverts, content etc.

When you do get the chance to sit down and watch something, I find myself bombarded with promos for stuff on two or three different streaming services before I can get to the thing I've found 30 minutes to watch.

Then there's AI and the tech industry. It feels like society is on a knife edge of too much of a good thing, everywhere, constantly, and it's heading to make things worse if we're not careful.

I read that micro dramas are now a thing. 60 to 90 second episode bursts of probably twaddle, and people are apparently lapping it up. Mind, blown

I'm relieved there are still some traditional forums like this one going (thanks staff), but I'm starting to think about stepping back from a lot of tech.

Anyone the same? And if you've found ways to cut the noise down, what's actually worked for you? Tools, apps, disciplines, balance etc?

 

[Rroff]

Personally always tried to limit/filter what I see unless it interests me and things like ads tend to go in one ear and out the other so to speak - I just take no notice of them unless it was something I was already interested in. Though in respect to streaming services that does mean I just don't subscribe to some of them - I'd rather just not watch stuff than have to sit through 30+ seconds of promotional roll to get to what I want to watch - especially if I've already paid to remove ads/boost .

 

[[FnG]magnolia]

It is easy to engineer a platform where you, the engineer, need to provide streams to said platform. Like Zammo, Just Say No.

When Bateman gives his cold speech, the dialogue unfolds as follows:

• Patrick: "I'm sorry. I just... you're not terribly important to me."
• Evelyn: (Incredulous) "What about our past? What about our shared past?"

 

[413x]

I'm battling with what to do next.
I'm not afraid of the future.
I'm afraid of making the wrong decision about it.

There's a perfect storm of stuff for me coming up in 2027 and very few things I'm sure about.

The "sensible" path seems the highest risk right now. Which is blowing my brain.

I keep having to literally tell my brain "the traditional path is no longer the defacto life path for you"

I've always struggled with big decisions being a perfectionist. But the ambiguity around my choices is beyond my control and will not change. So really, I have to make a decision.
But it's hard reframing your mind from a lifetime of following "the sensible path"


Cutting out Social media is always good.
Making most of time off is also always good. (I do at least 3 activities every week out of the house).
I'm saving less money and spending it on experiences.
I'm no longer buying junk/clutter/things and actively decluttering . Like lego. I find that it just sits there and doesn't make me happy. It's just another "thing".

Really, it's identifying positives and negatives. Then identifying what you can control. And just doing it.

Cutting back/out social media is quite a big one. And (for me) getting out in the real world is too.

Big decisions though.. I've not done those yet. Those come in 2027.. But I MUST not just go with the flow anymore.


Its frustrating not scary.

Edit. I've made loads of progress with "living in the moment".
For example, if I think "the weather is a bit naff today, I don't think I should go out on my bike"... I now go "the weather looks a bit naff, but if u don't go ask I'll do is watch TV".

So day to day, I've made loads of progress m still working on the long/mid term progress!