Reclaiming time from video apps is a superpower.
I feel so powerful when I stop a video midway and close the media app that is running on autoplay, whether it is facebook reels or youtube shorts or netflix or anything else.
Saying no is hard. Saying no to an app that works so hard to find content I might like and automatically plays it for me without any effort, only expecting me to keep the phone charged, wifi on, app open and eyes glued, is very very hard. It seems foolish to reject such convenience and hours of fun.
On the other hand, I realized that I am working for the apps, providing them with revenue from the ads as well as data to feed their recommendation engines. And, I pay the companies that make them with money (subscription fee) and time, for an opportunity to keep working for them. Sounds like the actions of an insane person indeed!
So now I intentionally pause an interesting video and exit the app consciously. And every time I do it I feel like I conquered something. I also happen to look outside the window and notice the beautiful weather outside when I do it.
Highly recommend everyone to try it!
