Who you are today isn't just restricted to what others see on your timeline, but everything you expose yourself to behind the scenes. A playlist is easily shared. Your subscriptions are yours alone.
The playlist is a collection of random assorted items that may or may not go together. Like a fluorescent highlighter, it is used only to record things that grab your attention, so you can track it at a later time. It could have a running theme to it of course. 'Rainy Day Favourites', 'Afternoon Magic', and so on. Therefore, a Spotify playlist (and this is entirely my personal view) often ends up being an indicator of one's mood. Your personality, on the other hand, is laid bare in your list of subscriptions.
A subscription spells conformity. You agree with the channel and therefore you choose to engage with it. You allow the content creator to punctuate your days with notifications, new uploads, comments etc. The engagement is voluntary, continuous, and potentially long-term. An extension of your own thoughts and views.
Naturally, it can say a lot about you as a person. For instance, if you're really a Bridget Jones masquerading as Mother of Dragons, the playlist could say Roar but your true identity might be
The Hallmark Channel.
Of the many things I have been subscribing to since the onset of the pandemic, silent vlogs has become a favourite.
(My List :) )
There's something so utterly soothing about them. Both the videos and the experience. Calm gentle 'plinky-plunky' music plays in the background as someone goes about their day. The everyday sounds are suddenly amplified and it instantly draws attention to the beauty in the mundane.
The soft clink of a cup as it touches the saucer, the sound of bubbling water, the click as a switch is turned on and off. Most of them have a muted aesthetic that enhances the softness and quietness of the videos. At times, it makes me want to spruce up my space and rearrange a plant or two. But at the end of a long day, when I want to watch something not to be entertained or stay informed, but to simply unwind, silent vlogs of people going about their day is my tonic.
There really is music in the everyday. And a kind of relief in simple unfussy settings. And these videos, that hinge solely on daily scenes and sounds, seem to evoke memories I'd didn't remember I had.
For instance, the curtains in my childhood home. My mother always hung two. A white lace curtain, kind of a cross between a half curtain and a cafe curtain. These were meant to let in the air and light during the day while retaining some privacy. And another one hanging over it. Printed ones the colour of cream biscuit.
Afternoons at home always took on a distinct colour when the sun streamed in through this double filter. The room would be aglow in a dull orange hue. A few koel birds in the background reinforced summer, the sound of children playing outside reminded the neighbourhood of the holidays, the crisp sound of paper as my mother turned a page in her book, the 'tak-tak' sound of plastic as I played with lego. This is the summer holiday memory for me. And some of these videos revived this little memory. A moment suspended in time. The music of the everyday, only amplified.
Silent vlogs about art journaling, gardening or slow living is my guilty pleasure now. My playlist is currently set to soft Hindi songs. My subscriptions are full of silent vlog channels. And i wonder, what does that reveal about me?
What does your playlist and subscription list, reveal about you? To you?
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