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Culture & Living
With all the toxicity on the internet, there also co-exists incredible creativity, positivity, and humour. Vogue India's fashion features director, Priyanka Khanna, is all about joy scrolling and she asks the team to share what pages and accounts they turn to for moments of inspiration
Zoom and Doom. 2020 summed up in a nutshell? As technology became such an integral part of our lives this past year, many of us found ourselves, spending half our time Zooming into school, work, workouts, cocktails and the other half, fingers poised over our touch screens, doom scrolling our way into a social media black hole.
I know I’m guilty.
So when late one night, as sleep eluded me, and I turned to the comfort of my screen (yes, I know, contrary to every expert opinion), I came across a new term—'joy scrolling'. The antithesis of negative online news that seems to be everywhere. Blame it on my bleariness, but while the source eludes me, the thought stayed on.
So where do I find pockets of joy on the internet?
Without even realising it, while working from home, I had already created a pick-me-up ritual to get over the afternoon slump. As soon as I’m done with a quick lunch, I spend a few minutes, reading one of my favourite sites, A Cup Of Jo. The Brooklyn-based blog covers motherhood, travel and lifestyle, but in a way, that’s incredibly uplifting. In this age of trolling, the readers comments are particularly lovely, as the team throws out questions on love, on childhood memories, on family rituals and so on, but they also author and link to some great reads, that are thoughtful and relevant.
I decided to pose this question to the Vogue India team. Who better? After all, we spend our days, reading and creating content, for the magazine and the website. I hope their answers inspire your screen time.
Instagram: Eshna Kutty, Amanda Oleander, Fat tony, Pubity, Mytherapistsays
Why: “Instagram Reels is a platform that thrives on pure entertainment, so these short bursts of creativity from artists, musicians and comedians, keep me inspired.”
Instagram: Good Fucking Design Advice
Why: “The caffeine kick for the soul and mind. Eliminating and overcoming any self-sabotaging and negative thoughts.”
Instagram: This Feels Nice
Why: “A feel-good illustrator with a focus on mental health. Simple, vivid illustrations in soothing colours with reminders to be kind and compassionate to yourself. Helps me engrain these basic practices after a stressful workday and also has a calming effect on the eyes before bedtime.”
Why: “At the risk of sound vapid, I have to admit that I largely consume TFD's content over Instagram. While it mainly caters to an American audience, over the years, TFD has taught me the importance of saving and investing with no amount of income being too small. It weaves in narratives about body positivity and urban poverty in a way that appeals to a global audience and touches upon issues that women deal with in most conservative societies (such as abortion rights). TFD's various articles instilled a sense of discipline in me when it came to taking control of my finances after my father (a banker, used to do all my financial work) passed away. There were days when even the thought of logging into my banking app crippled me with anxiety and today I understand things like compound interest and wealth-building and I know exactly where my money is, how much interest I am paying, or earning, and so on. Being on top of my finances is the one thing that has kept me calm in this pandemic. “
Instagram: Strange Planet
Why: “The internet can be an overwhelming place, especially given the current global climate. Between never-ending updates on protests, polls and the pandemic, New York-based cartoonist Nathan W Pyle's little blue aliens have created a happy world of their own on Instagram. With each bite-sized comic, Pyle presents everyday human experiences—from cleaning up to ordering takeout—through an extraterrestrial lens, reminding us that our lives are anything but boring. Follow for the super relatable scenarios, stay for the hilariously complex lingo.”
Instagram: Rachel Ryle, YEHUDA DeVIR, Anisa Sojka, Sara Shakeel
Why: “Art in different forms. Cute visual illustrations from Ryle, while Jude Devir documents his life in comic art. Sara Shakeel reigns supreme when it comes to crystal art, and Anisa’s hair content is great visually.”
Website: GoodReads.com
Why: “I spend a lot of time on GoodReads. It's where I find most of the books I wind up reading through the year via community recommendations and thoughtfully curated lists. It's been especially helpful ever since I bought my Kindle. Amazing literature is published every day, but very few people hear of these works unless they are covered by multiple mainstream media outlets. Adding to my virtual bookshelf helps me unwind, brings me joy and serves as a reminder that no matter how dark the times we live in, there's always a book you can escape into.”
Why: “These Instagram accounts are incredibly soothing and never fail to bring a smile.”
Youtube: Alo Yoga
Why: “I don't think I have one particular favourite place to go to virtually, but currently I am obsessed with Alo Yoga's YouTube classes. The Alo crew is like my yoga fam now—from chakra balancing flows to testing my strength and stability—they've really helped me grow and deepen my awareness of my body's potential and strength through this lockdown. And that yoga sweat really is the best way to take the day off—the glow is real!”
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