If you’re a somewhat messy person, you’ve probably had the experience of cleaning your closet and suddenly going down memory lane with old possessions like yearbooks, toys, or arts and crafts. This brings back great memories, and sometimes bittersweet ones.
Well, over break, I experienced this; but in digital form. Specifically, while looking through my YouTube subscriptions, I found myself still subscribed to a lot of creators I no longer watch. So, I went through my list one by one, deciding whether or not to unsubscribe.
I noticed three main categories of people I was subscribed to but was questioning whether or not to unsubscribe from:
Creators I’ve outgrown:
These were YouTubers whose humor had become repetitive for me, or whose content I had simply lost interest in. Watching their old videos reminded me of simpler times. I still admire them for making me smile when I was younger or going through hard times, Some I had subscribed to when i was in middle school, rewatching their videos was amusing, but it was time to let go.
People I don’t remember subscribing to:
These were channels I probably subscribed to after watching one video but I never actually enjoyed their content enough to keep up with their uploads. For instance, there was an old math channel about algebra, I likely subscribed to it in high school for help with homework. Another was a news station’s channel, which I couldn’t imagine intentionally subscribing to unless it was an accident.
Old friends:
This was the hardest category to decide on. These were people I used to talk to but don’t anymore, just because life happens and we’ve grown apart. I didn’t unsubscribe from any of the four channels I found in this category. They still upload videos, and even though we don’t talk, I want to support their content. I really enjoyed hearing their voices again and was happy to see their channels doing well. That was the most bittersweet part. Like an old photo with people you are no longer in touch with, it’s nice to see it and you don’t throw it away, but I know I will probably never look at it again.
There are still a few channels I don’t actively watch but remain subscribed to because their content is genuinely interesting. They are like random books you put up, but never read, but when people come over they are impressed by this book collection.
Overall, looking back at your digital footprint can be very interesting. It’s like organizing a closet—it helps you separate the old from the new while bringing back memories along the way.
