Are you digitally overwhelmed?

I know I am.

There is something about the way we use the internet these days that has started to feel like too much. Everything seems to be doing everything. More features, more notifications, more links; links have sub-links, sub-links have links (haha!), more things to click, scroll, swipe, subscribe to, comment on, and keep up with. Using the internet has become so exhausting.

And listen, this isn't a judgment on how anyone else uses the internet.

I'm AuDHD, and there are many wonderful and talented people whose work I've struggled to access or keep up with because some websites, apps, and platforms simply don't work well with my brain. The best way I can explain it is that some digital spaces feel incompatible with how I process information, especially when there are layers and layers of features competing for my attention.

Something that feels convenient or engaging to one person can feel overwhelming to another. We all have different needs, different capacities, and different ways of interacting with the world. I know we can't please everyone, and that's okay. I'm not suggesting that everyone should use the internet the way I do. I have to figure out what works for me, and in the process, I hope it might resonate with others who experience some of the same things.

I often find that many things these days are just doing entirely too much. Platforms may be competing to offer everything everyone else offers, all in one place, but sometimes that means losing what they were good at in the first place! That essence, that ‘je ne sais quoi’ (insert Italian hand gesture). It can also create additional barriers for people with disabilities, including disabilities that aren't immediately visible.

I feel the overwhelm from both sides: as a user and consumer, and as a creative.

There is the digital addiction, the endless scrolling, the overstimulation, and the constant feeling that something is asking for my attention. Then there is the pressure of creating within those same systems. Make the post. Make another version that fits the requirements or dimensions of the other platforms. Add another platform. Add another link. Ask people to comment. Ask them to subscribe. Keep people engaged. Keep up. To hell with all that! Woo! (ha).

I'm tired of it.

I want to change how I participate in the digital world. I want to be more intentional about how I consume things, perhaps having more dedicated desktop time instead of automatically reaching for my phone and falling into endless, mindless scrolling. I want to create more slowly, too. I don't want every idea I have to immediately become something that needs to be optimized, packaged, promoted, and distributed across multiple platforms.

I want ease, not just for myself but for the people who support my work.

So, I'm building my little corner of the internet in a way that works for my brain, my energy, and my capacity. I'm trying to keep the number of steps, links, and things you have to navigate to a minimum. Some things are unavoidable, of course, but I'm going to simplify wherever I can.

That means no swipe-posts or carousels. No apps to download. No paid subscriptions required. No long drop-down lists of links in my bio. No "comment to get..." anything. I am not a machine and simply could not provide you with endless daily or weekly production! My life ebbs and flows. Some days I can produce a lot, while other days I'm just not feeling it. I like to produce when it feels right so I can give as much quality and thought to my work as possible.

There is one direct link, straight to my website. My website is where you'll find my full essays, videos, art, ideas, and whatever else I'm making. Social media can be a doorway, but it doesn't have to be the entire house.

For me, simplicity isn't a trend or a productivity hack. It's accessibility. And it is necessary for my functioning. I want to create slowly. I want to consume slowly. I want to make space to actually read, absorb, reflect, watch, listen, think, and enjoy something without feeling like I have to keep moving to the next thing.

I don't want to disappear from the internet. I want to find a way of being online that feels more sustainable, intentional, and accessible to me. A simpler, quieter way of being online, without the overwhelm.

If that resonates with you too, welcome!