My Instagram reels addiction has ruined my ability to have a conversation. But can I get it back? | Hannah Ewens
As a journalist, I’m endlessly curious about people – or I was until short-form video made real-life interactions feel like a dragIt’s never pleasant to confront something unflattering about yourself,...
By Hannah Ewens · The Guardian Opinion
As a journalist, I’m endlessly curious about people – or I was until short-form video made real-life interactions feel like a drag It’s never pleasant to confront something unflattering about yourself, particularly when you catch yourself in the act. Recently I was mid-conversation with a stranger at a party, when I suddenly became conscious of my internal monologue: yes, hurry up, get to the point, you’re going to say this , then that , and what is the takeaway here? This wasn’t the first time I had noticed a shift in my real-life interactions. Over the preceding months, I had felt tired, even irritated, when loved ones so much as veered close to an anecdote or detail about their lives that I thought I had already heard. During interviews I conducted as a journalist, it sometimes took a heroic effort to concentrate on conversations once they failed to be truly stimulating. Ordinarily I am endlessly curious about people, but I couldn’t ignore a creeping feeling that my attention was waning. Continue reading...