The Slow Death Of Original Thinking

How do you, dear reader, consume media? And how often do you stop to think about what you’re taking in?

I consume most of mine along with my morning coffee. There’s something so grounding about waking up to an essay on Substack, or a 2000s film about a woman’s addiction to shopping, which I only watched to stare at Hugh Dancy’s gorgeous face, but ended up enjoying immensely for the way it quietly critiques consumerism and makes existential dread feel a little more sparkly. 

Clearly, my taste in media varies, sure, but the method of consumption stays the same: I’m usually eating, or doing something mindless, and I’m always hyper-focused, completely ‘locked in’, so I can engage with it critically. I love analysing things. I tore Severance apart like a thesis project. I dissected Intermezzo by Sally Rooney the same way just last week.

But I feel partially alone in this sentiment. In fact, just a few days ago, I watched, in pure disbelief, an acquaintance upload an academic paper on ChatGPT so it could extract all the important points without her having to put in any effort. And, okay. I could turn this into a whole other argument, about how the environment shouldn’t have to suffer because of her incompetence, but I won’t. All I’ll say is this: that there was a time when people actually Googled things. When they actually sifted through search results, pieced together paragraphs from five different sources, and earned the knowledge they found. Now? They settle for whatever AI spits out, which is often wrong, and they don’t even bother double-checking it. They settle, because it’s easier, because why waste time on research and academia, right?

Loud incorrect buzzer! I’m so sick of people settling for the most wretched AI work I’ve ever seen. I’m so sick of unoriginal thought. I miss the forums and blogs that have now been replaced by Instagram comment wars fuelled by some silly TikTok screenshot. Back then, you could scroll through a hundred-comment LiveJournal debate about the intricacies of House M.D.’s House and Wilson’s relationship, or dive into a carefully crafted Tumblr blog unpacking Star Trek theories and come away buzzing with new ideas. Now you scroll, you skim, you forget. Everything feels thinner, like skim milk, and more disposable.

And that is what terrifies me. We’re not just losing the art of criticism, we’re losing culture itself. Imagine a future where every analysis is some sludge dredged up by ChatGPT from forgotten corners of the internet, and every hot take is just regurgitated from the same recycled opinions.

Still, I don’t want to sound like a grandpa shaking his cane at teenagers on the sidewalk. There are corners of the internet where people still care: quirky essay newsletters, sprawling Letterboxd or Goodreads reviews, that one Twitter/X user who will argue you to death about Sally Rooney’s punctuation. As aggravating as some of them are, they remind you it’s not all gone yet.

So tomorrow morning, I’ll still drink my coffee in my hostel’s mess, read another Her Campus or Substack article, or watch a new movie and dutifully log it on Letterboxd. I’ll rip it all apart, annotate it in the margins of my mind, and stitch it back together. And I’ll do it knowing there are still a handful of people out there who care enough to do the same.

To wrap this up, here are the best things I read and watched in August and early September:

1. To The Ones Who Stayed: A beautifully honest reflection about tween and teenage friendships. It threw me right back to my childhood.
2. Surrounded But Alone: The Hidden Side Of College Life: This is a must-read for anyone in university. I felt so seen in its words.
3. Conjuring: The Last Rites: I rated this movie 3 out of 5 stars on Letterboxd, but I watched it with my friends, and I had a lovely time, so I will mention it here anyway. Go watch this with your friends so they can make fun of you for screaming at the jumpscares.
4. Mickey 17: This came out in March, but my roommate and I finally watched it in August, and we loved every bit of it. Please watch it immediately if you haven’t yet. Mark Ruffalo’s character will remind you of a certain someone, and you won’t stop laughing once you notice.
5. why time felt slower when we were kids (and how to get it back): Part philosophy, part science, and part gentle reminder to live with intention. I’ve never enjoyed reading an article more.
6. better sources of inspiration than pinterest: Such an original, refreshing read. It offers genuinely practical ways to find inspiration in the messy, everyday corners of real life.
7. The Office: No list of mine could exist without this comfort watch. The absurdity and warmth of the office will never miss, whether it’s background noise while I eat or a full rewatch marathon. 
8. Dead Poets Society: I rewatched it early this August, and it still left me breathless. A film that truly never ages. I’ll never get tired of Robin Williams telling me to seize the day.
9. Confessions Of A Professional Procrastinator: A really fun read that I related to way too much for my CGPA’s liking.
10. Red Flags to Look for in College Relationships ft. MUJ: Such an important reminder about the things we often willingly ignore. I’m so tempted to send this to every girl I know at MUJ.

Craving more cultural commentary with your morning coffee? Check out Her Campus At MUJ!

• analysis
• critical thinking
• digital age
• internet culture
• media