Where do you go for "easy"/meme content?
Basically, where do you go online or on your phone when you just need a distraction and don't have the energy or mental bandwidth to read something in-depth? Games and apps are okay, too.
I appreciate the community and the quality of discussions that are had here on Tildes, but sometimes, I just want to veg. I basically want to scroll through a large supply of pictures, memes, short-form videos, but without the toxicity and manipulation that comes with the main social media platforms. I don't think I need to create a whole list, I think we all know what the main social media sites are to avoid.
And I also want to distinguish this topic from other "where do you get your news from" or "what are some interesting feeds you're subscribed to" topics. I'm looking for easily digestible and mostly positive/happy/funny things to consume. Where do you regularly turn to when you just want a distraction?
I have two answers:
Tiktok, I control my feed well enough to be able to focus on the things I want to see. Yeah the algorithm is there but it serves me and I follow several serial "shows" that way. I also use YT for this (and for the same shows if I'd rather) but there I'm watching my subscribed channels which are not giving me weird stuff. I get positive news stories, science, inspirational and funny stuff here.
Royal Road. I'm a big reader but can sometimes get a block over a challenging book or because my ADHD will not focus. Royal Road is serialized fiction - like comic book installments of a story at a time - that means I can go read one update on a favorite or binge on a new story. And because people are particular there is a lot of "tagging" to let you know what kind of story you're getting into. Is it a mage retiring to bake bread in a cozy village? A dystopian fantasy tech future dealing with issues of corporate serfdom and free will? A crunchy litrpg? A time loop? A rock making numbers go big as it goes down? You know what you're getting into, mostly and it's a nice break in my day.
(A third because I lied)
3. A coloring/puzzle/card game app and a podcast - I listen to a number of podcasts, some about pop culture, some about racism and politics, some about books I enjoy, some about playing ttrpgs, and I like to do a puzzle, solitaire or just color while I listen sometimes rather than try to accomplish things with chores.
None of those may be quite what you're looking for but that's my unwind routine when I want a distraction.
Honestly, some of my favorite online content has come from TikTok, especially during the pandemic, so I get it. I've never installed the app or created an account, though, and I've found it annoying to use in a mobile browser without logging in. But maybe I can create a standalone account that's not tied to any of my personal stuff....
Royal Road sounds interesting! I had not heard of that before. Thanks!
Honestly, I think your third option (liar) is a solid choice. I, at one point, tried to take up knitting for a similar type thing. Unfortunately, I couldn't just dip into knitting, I had to learn first, so it didn't quite fit the bill. But maybe coloring or a paint-by-numbers, or anything along those lines would work...
Yeah I've hit the stage where I can knit and watch a show or something but I need to be able to look away/check my pattern/fix the thing I messed up. It takes time to learn it well enough for that.
I use Instafel on Android. It's a custom unofficial build of Instagram based on the Alpha build, and it completely removed ads as well as unlocks tons of options for fine tuned control over the algorithm and tracking that you can disable.
Oh, and if you look Instafel up, make sure to get it off the GitHub as I can't verify any dedicated website.
Tumblr, if I run out of feed from the blogs I follow, I’ll search some tags
Discord, usually i can find a channel with something interesting that I can read but don’t need to engage in.
YouTube shorts - but I’m trying really hard to train myself that if i scroll for more than 5 or so shorts, to at least go use the exercise bike while scrolling so that I get some movement in!
I craft, so if I don’t have the brainpower to read or do anything serious, doing some mindless knitting or coloring is way more valuable. Of course it doesn’t always work out that way, but I’m trying.
Tumblr and Discord are good choices. Honestly, I forgot about Tumblr and I'm not in any super engaging Discord servers, but perhaps I need to look into that more.
YouTube Shorts have gotten much better over the last couple of years. I find myself enjoying those, too, but I find the content dries up [for me] rather quickly. I'm sure that's a user problem, though.
I like the idea of crafting. I actually tried picking up knitting a couple of years ago so I could listen to a light podcast or audio book and keep my hands busy, but it turns out you gotta spend some time watching/reading tutorials on knitting before you can just dive right in, and I had trouble finding the motivation to make much progress.
https://discuit.org/
It's another reddit clone but mostly friendly, fine for mindless scrolling. I made an account so I can mute trolls, politics, and other poor quality content. I do sometimes see news sooner there than here even though I don't often visit.
I enjoy Star Trek memes and Risa is pretty good at delivering
Also the last time a similar question was asked, somebody else posted a low-effort meme site that I believe was on the fediverse as well or maybe discuit? I found the content there pretty enjoyable, low effort, relatively apolitical, and new content (to me) but I completely forget what the URL was. If anybody posted that like six months ago, I would be moderately indebted to know it again!