It’s no secret that we’re all addicted to our phones, and I myself can admit to being such. However, as part of my New Year’s resolutions and trying to better myself, I’m on a journey to reconnect with physical media and unplug from the constant influx of AI character art, animated cat videos and fake news that appears on my feed daily.
Continuing advancements from artificial intelligence and a growing use in AI produced content, functions and controls mean that these platforms like Open AI and Chat GPT have the ability to do almost everything you can do yourself. Plan meals, make art, give you ‘therapy’ and write essays. Therefore, one might ask, ‘Why should I do it when someone or something else can?’. As a result of such, many of us are under the impression that we therefore control AI, but the reality is much scarier.
For as long as I can remember my routine has consisted of opening Pinterest to plan my outfits for the day, find meal ideas and manifest my dream life. However, like every other platform, artificial intelligence has taken over, with a number of AI generated pins, adverts and influence from Open AI. There seems to be a lack of alternative apps and websites out there offering the same functions, with all similar ones also falling into the AI algorithm and functions trap. However, if like me you’re determined to keep your Pinterest dream life habits a reality in a more eco-friendly and moral manner there is ways.
Step inside your local charity shop and even in 2026 you’re almost guaranteed to find a busting or overflowing book section, aside from the 99% guarantee of finding numerous copies of The Hunger Games and Fifty Shades trilogy, one with a keen eye will find cookbooks for almost every cuisine and continent imaginable. Now you can find the recipe at the tip of your fingers rather than guessing from a Pinterest photo or searching hours on safari for one that matches.
I can also recommend looking into works by Anthony Bourdain such as ‘A Cook’s Tour’ and ‘Kitchen Confidential’, keeping the balance of looking for meal inspiration while getting in that page count, learning more in depth about the foods culture, origins and why certain ingredients are used. Bourdain also has a series of television shows with similar results.
When it comes down to mood boards and outfit inspiration, it may be time to get out the magazines, glue and scissors, resorting back to childhood pass times of scrapbooking and making your own physical mood board to decorate your walls. Something to wake up to and visualise while going about daily habits. Whilst it may not prove one of the most effective or useful alternatives, it’s certainly an option if you’re into crafts but you don’t need to have a creative bone in your body in order to be resourceful.
Whilst it isn’t easy to disconnect from the world of social media, there is a number of ‘imperfect’ steps I’ve implemented into my daily routine to move my scrolling habits from the doom of Instagram to more ‘intellectual’ consumption, at the risk of sounding pretentious – but I’d rather be pretentious than a contributor of AI’s destruction.
For months now I have annoyed those around me with my dedication to the platform Substack, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, it is the place to be for media consumption. The perfect mix of informative and niche articles and pinterest-esque content. Used as a replacement for my Instagram scrolling habits, a morning or evening scroll through Substack and you can refresh your feed and mind with short or long form articles on whatever topic takes your fancy or multi-media content – there’s something for everyone.
Similar to the acknowledged phone addiction, many of us share a problematic love for the social media app, TikTok. However, I owe homage to the platforms algorithms for my altered habits and routine I now live by. After careful curation of my feed as a result of my dedication to consume more informative and as ‘ethical’ as possible content, my ‘For you page’ now consists of miniature video series, podcast style vlogs, media consumption recaps/recommendations and a healthy side of ‘booktok’. While social media may be the devil in (a not so discreet) disguise, once you use algorithms to your advantage you begin to discover beneficial ‘doom-scrolling’.
From following a number of fashion photographers, fellow journalists, artists and creatives, it’s refreshing to see a feed flooded with such raw and complete human talent. Currently, social media feels like a wormhole of AI art from paintings to music, and those handmade creations seem lost at sea. But reconnecting with the creative community is more important than ever in these times, promoting human talent and pushing ourselves to demonstrate our own is the only way we can combat this rising trend.
I’ve also found myself loving podcasts and they’re not all like the ones you’ve seen on TikTok prompting the #BanMalePodcasts trend. It’s a great way to consume media and keep up to date on current events while on the go. My recommendations include Taboo on the Bus (created and hosted by @whatzaraloves), the perfect place for candid discussions on pop culture and societal issues, most importantly discussing what’s often not discussed – hence taboo.
I also highly recommend The Rest Is Politics, the soundtrack to my week. Hosted by Alastair Campbell (former Downing Street Director of Communications and Spokesman for the Labour Party under Tony Blair) and Rory Stewart (Former Conservative MP and Minister of State for International Development, Africa, and Prisons), the podcast has you covered and kept up to date on all UK and international politics.
Durning the first lockdown in 2020 and the second in 2021, me and my friends would go through books like a cat given catnip. Averaging a book a day whether 150, 300 or 800 pages, fiction or non-fiction, it was the easiest thing in the world to me. However, as the years have gone on and lives have got busier this gift of free time and ability to fly through the pages has been lost on me.
I have shelves filled with numerous books, authors and genres but engaging my brain with written words is where I seem to get stuck, rewiring my brain away from the hours of scrolling and consuming words on a screen. I’m aware this is an issue many my age, younger and older share, recently I took up Audible’s free student trial. Ranging from one month to three months, listeners can purchase any title of their choosing and benefit from tokens to one free book a month, this I’ve found has been my key to getting back to my reading habits.
Another habit I’ve found successful is engaging with book clubs, once inaccessible to the majority from cost to location, social media has made this more manageable. Dua Lipa’s Service95 is the perfect example of celebrities using their status and outreach for good, educating and providing that accessible platform.
Service95 founded by Dua Lipa is more than just a book club. Derived from the idea of being a service for the community, a world of creatives, literature and news. The website hosts articles on activism, current relations, culture, travel and travel tips, self and wellbeing, as well as fashion.
When it comes to books, Dua and Service95 have you more than covered. The monthly read gives members something to focus on, no pressure to read straight away with an essay deadline looming or panicking you’ve left it too late. You have a whole month to dig in and get involved in the discussion. Each book features an article of a blurb written by Dua herself and extra insight to get you involved.
It also features articles filled with recommendations, the story behind the books and the novels that inspired them – perfect for those who can never find ones similar to their last read. Alongside all of Dua Lipa’s numerous other ventures, the Service95 book club also features it’s own podcast.
I also recommend Emma Neil’s book club, available to join through the message channel in her Instagram bio (@emmaneill_).
My book shopping recommendations (that aren’t Amazon or Waterstones):
- World Of Books (Second hand book online-market for a great price, large range of titles available for under £5)
- Charity shops (Many books start at £1 and often have deals offering multiple books for under £5 or 3 for 2)
- Topping and Co. (Independent and family owned chain)
- Lighthouse Books (Independent, women-led community bookshop, great range of political and non-mainstream titles)
- Argonaut Books (Independent, community bookshop)
In November 2025, it was estimated that the average AI data centre uses around 300,000 gallons of water a day, this is equivalent to the usage of 1,000 households, whereas larger data centres take up to 5 million gallons of water a day. There is a number of other serious ethical concerns with the use of artificial intelligence which all impact the media industry.
In May 2023, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and a series of Hollywood actors went on strike for 148 days over a labor dispute with the lack of agreement on a new contract between themselves, The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and poor compensation for writers. The aim of the strikes involved job security for writers and a limit on the use of artificial intelligence in the writing process.
In September 2023, the union secured an agreement on AI in the writers industry landing regulation that prohibits writers work being exploited to train AI models and prohibits the use of AI in order to reduce the number of writers used and their pay.
Artificial intelligence also lacks the ability to create and replicate media to the same standard as human creativity born from original ideas and lived experiences/inspiration. It’s lack of originality and repetitive outputs means it loses that connection we feel from seeing art that reflects our own experiences and emotions derived from the process of creating art which shine through in the final creation.
While it might feel difficult to escape artificial intelligence in the media it’s not impossible. Especially, when you feel the rewards of knowing you’re funding human creativity and intelligence over machines.
