By Brendan Ulmer
Ulmer Uninterrupted
I have a horrible relationship with technology.
I make it a point to never, ever, check my weekly screentime numbers.
Part of the problem is that I fall asleep with my phone on, and it used to be because I was listening to some of my favorite dry political podcasts. Just interesting enough to stimulate me when I’m awake, and just boring enough that it doesn’t stand in the way when it’s time to drift off to sleep. I’ve been trying to break this habit because I believe I’m taking psychic damage by hearing about the problems of the world, even when I’m asleep.
To detox from this habit, I’ve started falling asleep to YouTube videos with titles like “Are Grand Theft Auto’s Airports Realistic?” and “Where Do Red Dead Redemption 2’s Rivers Come From?” Now, I’m not sure if this has been helping my sleep at all—I’m half-awake typing this right now—but it’s been nice to listen to someone put so much thought and analysis into something that doesn’t matter in the slightest.
Knowledge can be paradoxical in that, while it in some sense can “free” you, it can also be quite burdensome. For instance, earlier this month, I finished a deep dive story about declining school enrollment in Reno County. That story ended up really being about declining birth rates. Declining birth rates mean a labor shortage could be on the way, and the federal government appears to be more focused on shipping people out than in. So, unless AI is about to cut the job market significantly, which I have doubts and reservations about, we’re probably in for a lot of, to put it mildly, economic uncertainty in the next 20 years or so. See that, that sucks, I hate that, get that out of my head, please.
Escapism is another very paradoxical concept. It’s feeling increasingly necessary to give people something to think about that won’t drive them crazy, but you also run the risk of creating a less engaged, more apathetic public.
There is a concept I believe can blunt the double-edged sword of both knowledge and escapism, and that is community. According to a Surgeon General report from 2023, approximately 50% of adults in the U.S. described themselves as lonely. This, combined with the constant influx of information in this day and age, makes people feel like lightning rods, standing alone, handling the heat all by themselves. When someone is part of a community and feels intimately connected to those around them, I believe some of that burden is relieved. Not only because they are not alone in their concern, but also because community intrinsically comes with a feeling of security.
The benefits of community also apply to escapism. In my experience, if I’m playing a game with someone else, watching a movie or TV show with someone else, or having a conversation that doesn’t necessarily have a lot of stakes attached to it, I never feel like I’m wasting my time. It’s really that simple, I think. Sure, there are healthier habits, reading, writing, crafts, but I really do feel like the missing ingredient in what I’ll call the brain-drain hobbies (TV, video games) is people to share them with. Some of my favorite college memories are sitting 12 people deep in someone’s small apartment and watching a movie with them.
There’s a lot of joy yet to be discovered just by talking to the people around you.
Brendan Ulmer is a reporter for The Hutchinson Tribune. He can be reached at: brendan@hutchtribune.com.