If you live alone, think to yourself, when’s the last time you sat down and had a meal without a YouTube video playing? Maybe just music playing, or even just the sound of a TV. Is that a crazy concept to think about? I stumbled upon this YouTube video from one of my favourite internet duos known as “Fairbairn Films”, who couldn’t have portrayed this topic in a more accurate and humorous way.
The main point about the whole video has to be about having stimulation while doing something. They have a fair point though, like think about the last time you did something alone in “silence”, it just has this “still” and “weird” feeling. I do agree that the “TikTok” generation has become way too reliant on having something else going on while doing another. However, my personal experience has become more accurate to this video as of late.
Going back to the question I asked earlier, what is it that makes you feel like you need to have “something else” going while doing another? Is it silence? Is it a lack of activity? Could it just be that it’s more “enjoyable” in terms of brain activity? For me, living on my own this year for my last year of school has made me more aware of all of these questions and more.
When I’m home on the weekends with my family, just their presence is all I need to be able to “do” something, whether that’s having a meal with them, or doing tasks around the house such as homework or watching sports. But now that I’m living on my own, I find myself needing that YouTube video going whenever I sit down to enjoy a meal in my one-bedroom suite. It just seems to make the room more “alive”.
Pexels / Marcus Aurelius
Do you think this will change in say, 10 or 20 years from now? Will it come to a point where we will be so reliant on technology that it will basically become a part of us? The next time you catch yourself having a “moment” that the Fairbairn brothers described hilariously in their video, just think about what is the reason for whatever it is you find yourself doing.
Some activities require at least music to be completed though, like you really expect me to do laundry in complete silence? Regardless, I say the best thing to do in any situation is just assess what needs to be happening for your personal “ambience” to be complete and follow through.
Just enjoy whatever it is you’re doing, however way you see fit!