“You should be doing something more productive instead of being on your phone for hours on end.” I can't count how many times my parents has said this particular sentence since I got a smartphone. Yes, I can be doing something more productive, it still doesn't stop me from having my phone in my hands for at least 10 hours of my day. There are four particular apps that I must open everyday, just because they fill me with dopamine.
If I was told last three years that X would be one of my most used apps and a favorite at that, I would have argued. Back then, I used to think Twitter was filled with people who just liked trading insults, without giving any meaningful opinion on stuff. Then, I got on Twitter and I realized that Twitter was filled with opportunities. There's the good side and the bad side of Twitter of course. But Twitter is funny, it's eye-opening, it keeps you current with it's steady stream of information. And for someone like me who’s always interested in knowing top trends and gist, Twitter is my go-to. I like being on the in of things, knowing almost all the gossip about celebrities and Twitter feeds me quite well. Sometimes, I find myself doing mindless scrolling and I feel guilty. I could have used all that time to read a school pdf or write an article or two. I still scroll anyway, haha.
I'm an addict of aesthetic pictures, quotes, poems and videos and Pinterest is just the app to go to for me. I see mood boards and pins and I could stay there for hours, downloading images that would sit in my gallery for times when I do not have data. I find myself reading and downloading images of poems and quotes about love and heartbreak. When a friend scrolled through my gallery once, he asked if I was heartbroken. I also discover new music, new food, new ways to dress up and new ways to tie scarves. I gulp all this beauty in pixels like a fish needing water.
Music, music, music. Most days, I can't do without music. Sometimes, I just want to hear a familiar tune or a melancholic tune, something that would keep me floating from the worries of this world for a little while. I can spend hours listening to music, while doing other things like chores or scrolling through Twitter, Pinterest and other apps. Some people might refer to my music taste as weird or not cool. I mean I really can't play my songs on a speaker. I wouldn't really say listening to music is a guilty pleasure. I find that it aids my creativity and makes me work faster. But then, maybe not being able to do chores faster or effectively without music makes it a guilty pleasure???
Now, this app is a must open every single day. There's no way I'm going a day without reading a page or two from my fictional novels. And yes, it's a guilty pleasure. Because I am constantly reminded to devote my attention to reading career articles and boring self-help books. Like, who wants to read about how to make your bed everyday? I would probably sleep off before I'm two pages in. They might be helpful and encouraging. But, I still gain life lessons and teachings from fictional books as well, which is what I try to remind people who keep saying fictional books are not intellectually enriching. And I guiltily indulge myself in reading romantic stories. If I cannot have sweet love in real life, then I must have it in my imaginations.
I could spend hours on end using these four apps, without getting tired. But while using them sometimes, I keep thinking that I should be doing something more productive and then, I start feeling guilty. The guilt becomes my constant companion even while I keep using them.
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