How To Seek Quality Entertainment In A Culture Of Distraction

Stealing our time, attention, and brain cells, this noise offers us virtually nothing in return. It dulls our intellectual curiosity and wills our physical bodies to remain sedentary – and these terrible effects pale in comparison to the toll that it takes on our souls. 

Within each and every one of us lives an instinct to connect with others, seek adventure, fulfill noble responsibilities, and cultivate a life that strives for the true, the beautiful, and the good. But, if we don’t nurture these virtuous instincts – by turning away from distraction and seeking wisdom instead – they will wither, and so will we. 

Luckily, when we finally see the light, it’s never too late to run toward it. 

There Is Nothing New under the Sun 

An entertained populace has always been a pliable populace. In Ancient Rome, gladiator games, funded by the emperor, were used to occupy the society’s poor and unemployed with the aim of keeping them distracted enough from their suffering so as to prevent revolt.

Our public square now exists in the digital realm, and entertainment has migrated from the coliseum to the screen. Yet, the human capacity to give in to ugly bloodlust and baseless entertainment remains the same. Just as battles for territory have shifted to information warfare, so the macabre pleasure derived from watching men fight to the death has evolved into Twitter spats and clickbait headlines that feed the insatiable 24-hour news cycle. In both eras, is a human being’s unique life not dehumanized, debased, and devalued?

Learning to use technology for your good – and, in turn, for the good of those in your orbit – begins with recognizing its downfalls. The barbaric practice of the gladiator games ended when courageous people stood up and said enough. 

So, who do you want to be? The entertained pauper jeering at the sidelines, or the one brave enough to stand out from the crowd?

Setting Boundaries: The Harder Thing Is Usually the Better Thing 

Once you’ve decided to disengage from the most broadly toxic elements of the internet and value-deficient products of entertainment culture, it’s time to figure out the more personalized boundaries that need to be set. 

While some level of interaction with technology is unavoidable, unchecked use of this necessity can easily slip into vice. It takes no uncertain amount of discipline to avoid the soft surrender of our time and attention to screens via social media, binging television, or mindless scrolling.

In order to figure out where you need to cut back, let’s start with identifying which screen or app you reach for the most. Then, next time you find yourself turning on the television, or opening that app, maybe just...don’t?

It’s really as simple as this: Do something else instead. 

• Go for a walk. 

• Pick up a book. 

• Head to a coffee shop. 

• Cook a nourishing meal. 

• Wash a load of laundry. 

• Hit the gym.

• Clean your house.

• Call a friend. 

Whatever activity you choose, allow yourself to register a sense of satisfaction in doing it. Maybe even acknowledge this decision by affirming it vocally, or just in your head: I’ve made an active choice to serve my good and the good of others. 

A full and well-lived life is created through good choices and healthy habits practiced throughout all the passing days. As you cultivate these habits, remember that the harder thing is (almost) always the better thing. Redirecting, rather than giving in to inclinations that distract instead of fulfill, may seem like a small feat in the moment, but it matters a great deal in the grand scheme of things. 

Get Comfortable with Silence 

Unaccompanied by the noise of the ever-insatiable digital world, silence allows us to see that our needs are actually quite easy to name. Our desires, more attainable than we might typically think.

Start by registering how much noise accompanies your day – the background clutter of podcasts, music, social media – then start to turn down the volume. Switch off the radio and spend that 15-minute drive to the grocery store in silence, listening instead to the hum of your car’s tires against the pavement, or the rush of wind through an open window. Go for a morning or evening stroll and leave your headphones at home, delighting in nature’s symphony as the day wakes up or settles down.    

Creating room for silence allows us to register and reap the benefits of pleasures that the noise of our world conceals.

Creating room for silence allows us to register and reap the benefits of pleasures that the noise of our world conceals. When we turn this exercise into habit, we may start to feel as if we’re waking from a long, yet not entirely restful, sleep. How does it feel to be present, once again, in your own mind, body, and soul?

How To Know What Culture To Consume 

Once we’ve learned how to eliminate excess noise from our lives, it’s time to determine how to thoughtfully reengage.  

The next time you find yourself in an especially great conversation with someone – the kind that appeals to the deeper levels of your intellect, your emotions, or both – take note. What is it about this exchange that lights up your mind? That lifts or sobers your heart? Perhaps the person you’re talking with challenges you, makes you feel seen, or offers you a glimpse of the world from a new perspective. Once you begin paying attention to the conversations that stand out and asking yourself why, you’ll find that they aim higher than idle gossip or lazy small talk.   

When discerning what cultural creations we allow into our orbit, the ideal to aim for is the re-creation of the feeling you get from those wonderful kinds of conversations. When consuming a cultural product, does your mind feel active or passive? Whether it’s a film, a podcast, a book, or music, does it invite you to truly engage with it, or is it simply a tool to dull the ache of boredom? Does it elicit an intellectual or emotional reaction? Does it aim to elevate, or is it just noise? 

Conscious Consumption

Let’s also consider the entertainment content we consume the same way that we treat the food we eat. A cheeseburger and fries on the rare occasion is a delightful indulgence, but a steady diet of this meal would wreak havoc on our health. When we allow what should be the rarity to become the norm, we rob ourselves of the pleasure derived from it – and thus, seek other ways to fulfill an increasingly insatiable hunger. 

Likewise, settling in to watch an episode or two of a favorite show is an act of leisure that can offer pleasure, while binging hours of mindless television on a daily basis simply dulls our senses and lulls us into a cultural coma. 

In addition to being cognizant of how much and how often we consume content, let’s also pay attention to the quality of what we allow into our minds. As the saying goes, “garbage in, garbage out.” The values imbued in what we take in directly determine the value of what our minds produce. 

The ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius is attributed with saying, “If one should desire to know whether a kingdom is well governed, if its morals are good or bad, the quality of its music will furnish the answer.” While there’s an endless amount of options when it comes to what to watch, keep in mind that many of the things we see play out on our screens are most certainly not being created for our good. From divisive rhetoric on news and social media to music and movies that feel empty of meaning, the digital landscape may feel hopeless at times, but the same doesn’t have to be said for the territory of your own mind and heart.  

Taking Control of the Weapon Aimed at Your Attention

The internet offers a portal to both the depraved and the dignified; it’s a forked pathway toward humanity’s most base earthly desires, as well as the instinct to aim higher in pursuit of knowledge, nobility, and empathy. Instead of unplugging entirely, let’s evaluate how our screens might actually serve us well. With one click, we’re granted access to world-class philosophers, teachers, and industry experts. Not only do we have the advantage of access to the wisdom earned by the great thinkers of the past, but we also have access to the great thinkers of today to help us understand the work those long-dead giants left behind. 

Let’s also consider the entertainment content we consume the same way that we treat the food we eat.

Tolstoy once said, “The only purpose of education is freedom.” In the Western world, resources to create a foundation of wisdom for oneself are more accessible than at any point in human history. If you feel uneducated or uninformed about a topic that piques your interest, perhaps it’s time to confront the fact that the greatest barrier to the fulfillment of your desires is you. While it may be difficult to admit, this is actually great news: Only you have the power to get out of your own way.

Discovering New Voices 

Once you’ve recalibrated your engagement with cultural content, your taste will naturally begin to level up. As such, you may find the things that used to occupy your time now feel largely unsatisfying. Take heart, for you’re in good company. 

For true musicians, most of the Top 40 is a joke. To real writers, the majority of commercial bestsellers are bores. Now that you’ve started to pay more active attention to what you do and don’t like, you’ll be able to articulate why. This is an extraordinary, rare, and wonderful gift that will make art in all its forms more exciting and fully felt, but it can be tough to find voices that keep you engaged, much less inspired.

Whether you’re looking for a new book to dive into and nothing on the Bestsellers shelf is calling your name, or you're scrolling through Netflix’s latest offerings without interest, this is the perfect time to seek out the favorites of your favorites. A simple Google search (author name + recommended reads; filmmaker name + favorite movies; musician’s name + top playlist, etc.) yields a treasure trove of results. Have some fun perusing interviews with your favorite creators and discover the people who inspired them. Then, see how they inspire you.

If you’re not intrigued by present-day creation, turn to the classics. They’ve attained that status for a reason, and the foundation they lay will help you better understand the works of more recent generations. Mankind has been creating art for millennia. Pick an era that strikes your fancy, and dive in. Dim the lights and turn on an old black-and-white, or light a candle and pick up that dust-covered book.

Closing Thoughts

Today's entertainment offers an obvious and unabashed amount of junk to consume if we feel so inclined. Fortunately, we get to choose which influences we allow into our lives, and it’s time to stop giving our money, time, and attention to outlets that offer nothing in return. 

Once we’ve learned how to practice the self-control necessary to implement boundaries with the screens that have become a part of our daily lives, we can explore how this unfettered access can actually be used to our advantage. The key here is to meet our willpower with discernment. When we do engage with cultural products, we can now ask ourselves the most vital question: Does this point to that which is good, beautiful, and true? 

Replace boredom with curiosity, forego passivity in favor of active engagement, and watch your life change exponentially for the better.  

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