Happy August, friends.

At the beginning of summer (HOW is it almost over?), I joined the rest of the depressed people on the internet and became obsessed with Bo Burnham’s new special, Inside. It’s a perfect musical encapsulation of what a year of pandemic did to all (or at least many) of us, performed by one of the earliest internet ~celebrities~ who has since become a sort of philosopher on the subject.

After five viewings, hundreds of listens through the album, infinite TikTok memes, and hours of combing through old interviews with Bo, I’m finding myself taking stock of how I use the internet. Last time, I wrote about how I’ve burned myself out on books because I’m trying to side-hustle my way through everything that brings me joy. When I’m not doing that, I’m mindlessly scrolling through social feeds and feeling bad about myself.

I know writing about the internet on the internet is ridiculous, but I can’t stop thinking about it. I’m trying to cut back on my Twitter / Instagram / TikTok time. I set up Screen Time on my phone to kick me out of social apps after two hours every day. About half of the time, I hit “ignore timer” when the alert comes up. But I’m working on it. Maybe one day I’ll prefer real life to internet life.