Consumed by the Scroll

Notes on ruthlessly curating your social media feeds

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This is not a post about optimizing your content calendar or posting at the exact right minute for maximum engagement. In fact, the endless chatter around algorithms and growth hacks makes me feel vaguely nauseous. What I want to talk about instead is consumption: ruthlessly curating your feeds and ferociously editing your following lists so they actually serve you. Because if we’re going to spend so much of our lives online or glued to our phones, why not make it enjoyable?

Lately, I’ve had chats with friends about how much they hate being on Instagram. That it feels more draining than delightful. Others admit their TikTok feeds have become so anxiety-inducing they can’t fall asleep at night. And I get it. Social media is meant to entertain and inspire, but too often it feels like a second job, a stress spiral, or a distraction that leaves us overstimulated, consumed, and oddly depleted. But here’s the thing: we often forget that we’re the ones in control of what and who we follow. Think of this as a note on reclaiming the scroll.

When your feed is suffocating

In recent years, I’ve become unapologetically ruthless about curating my social media. I edit my following lists every so often. I train the apps by engaging or not engaging with certain content. I give each platform a purpose. I set boundaries. For me, social media is a space for inspiration and joy… not where I get my daily news or life updates from friends and family. I use it for escape more so than reality.

Remember when social media actually felt fun? The hazy-filtered days of early Instagram, when we’d snap our morning latte or a top-down outfit shot and slap on Valencia without hesitation. The Tumblr era, where we reblogged moody quotes and dreamy images like we were curating our own personal museum wall. Even MySpace was its own little sanctuary: wallpaper backgrounds, an angst-filled Dashboard Confessional song on autoplay, and the sacred art of choosing your Top 8. Back then, logging in was a joy. I’m speaking to you, fellow millennials.

But somewhere along the way, things shifted. Social platforms stopped being playgrounds and turned into stages. Now there are algorithms whispering in our ears, constant reminders of “growth,” and an unspoken pressure to make everything look polished. Instead of delightfully wasting time, we doomscroll, we compare, we log off feeling more drained than inspired.

But here’s the good news: your social media is still yours to curate. It doesn’t have to be a machine that makes you feel behind or not-enough or depressed. With a few edits and lower stakes, the scroll can be quite enjoyable and inspiring.

If this is all resonating, here are some shifts I’ve made to find joy in the scroll again. And if any of these feel glaringly obvious, think of them as a gentle reminder to check in with your feeds today. I know some people rely on social media for news, updates, or even their livelihoods. This isn’t to dismiss that; just me sharing how I make my own scrolling feel lighter. Take what serves you, leave what doesn’t…