It can be necessary to take a break from a problem set now and then to online shop or stalk yourself on Facebook (it’s a thing, okay?). But when you’re way behind on reading and missing deadlines (sorry, Liana and Alexandra!) because you’re too sucked into 40 Amazing Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipes on Buzzfeed (extra bad if you are lactose intolerant) it’s time to step away from the keyboard.
There’s nothing wrong with occasionally indulging in mind numbing content, but when it becomes routine you may want to rethink procrastination habits since they impact what is pops up on your newsfeed.
Like a semi-permeable membrane, computerized algorithms act as information gatekeepers that decide what even makes it onto our radar. These highly individualized “filter bubbles” reflect what the Internet thinks you want to see. All of the information from your internet history- including not only what you are searching for but where you are searching from- is analyzed and processed by sophisticated search engines that tailor advertisements and results that are most relevant to your interests. To put it another bluntly, the Internet is judging you. Constantly. It’s not a moral evaluation, but it decides what you will want to look at and what will be screened out based on past history. Think about that next time you’re procrastinating and going through all 50 Funniest Grumpy Cat Memes.
It’s easy to get sucked into the vast depths of the Internet the same way it’s easy wake up with a bed full of crumbs and an empty Pringles can- if the content isn’t substantial, you’re left wanting more. Check out these sites for some high quality procrastination to satisfy your interests and (potentially- no promises) spark some productivity.
When you want something mildly educational
Ted Talks: This one is sort of a “duhhhhh” but where else on the web can you search “inspirational” and get over 13,000 videos that you actually want to watch?
Click it: Danish architect Bjarke Ingel’s 3 Warp-speed Architecture Tales on the avant-garde’s axiom “Yes is more” and Jae Rhim Lee’s My Mushroom Burial Suit.
When you’re tired of pretending to be gluten free health nut
Use Real Butter: When astrophysicist Jen was diagnosed with cancer and undergoing chemotherapy she still managed to teleski, freelance photography and start a successful food blog. What a woman.
Click it: Bacon-wrapped boursin-stuffed dates (my favorite appetizer in the world) and Thai tea ice cream
When you’ve used up your ten free articles on The New York Times
Politico: If you’re already into politics, Politico is probably already ingrained in your vie quotidienne. Even if you just read one article a week, keeping up with the Kardashians current events is a good habit to get into.
Click it: This week in pictures and the Cartoon Carousel for a cap of the weeks events that you can actually digest.
When you’re about to go on Buzzfeed
Complex: A men’s magazine that’s ahead of the curve for the latest hip-hop and rap and provides a snarky commentary on pop culture.
Click it: Buff up on your film studies with The 100 Best Movies Streaming on Netflix Right Now and The 25 Best Sonnings in Movie History. Also check out 24 Hours Spent Camping Out for the Premier of “Saturday Night Live”, is it really worth it?
When you’re online shopping for basic solids at Uniqlo
The Ultra Bright: It’s the equivalent of playing with paint swatches online (you didn’t do that as a kid?) It may not be the authority of color like Pantone, but that’s why Ultra Bright has the leeway to be more experimental.
Click it: New York Fashion Week 2013 Color Analysis and The History of Color
When you’re tired of Jezebel
xoJane: Meet Jezebel’s edgier, more mature cousin.
Click it: I was Typecast as “The Fat Girl” on a Reality TV Show (among other gems in the “It Happened to Me” section) and anything written by amphetamine queen Cat Marnell, especially her musing on the death of Whitney Houston.
When you want to fill your Forever 21 shopping cart with impulse buys
Refinery 29: What to be in the know? Read this and hear it first hand from a panel of expert trend trackers.
Click it: How to Wear 5 Weird Things We All Own and How Audrey Gelman Changed the Face of NYC Politics
When you’re thinking about buying overalls or clogs
Man Repeller: Started by Leandra Medine while she was still an undergraduate at The New School, Man Repeller provides humorous look at the ins and outs of the fashion world. As the trendsetter succinctly sums it up: “Good fashion is about pleasing women, not men, so as it happens, the trends we love, men hate. And that is fantastic.”
Click it: The New Generation of Discernible Labels and Manstagrams
Happy procrastinating!