Feeling human
December 21, 2025
Hi, I’m Mapu, the writer behind the Substack publication Instead of Doomscrolling—a corner of the internet where you can join me on my journey of mindful media consumption. Over there, I share media roundups and curated media guides, but over here I’ll be sharing the little things that bring comfort, purpose, and whimsy back into my life every single week. I hope you find some inspiration that sparks the curiosity to experience life beyond the algorithmic ways of the internet :)
If I could describe this past year in one word, it would be uncanny. With AI seeping through every crack of our lives, headlines that read like fever dreams, and the algorithmic flattening of identity—and honestly, I could go on—everything seems to be glazed by a layer of synthetic static. This feeling has led to a collective detachment and isolation, pushing us even deeper into our individualistic holes. That’s why it’s more important than ever to remind ourselves of the unique qualities that make us human. As a way to ground myself in this strange moment in time, I have made a conscious effort to embrace the connection with my own humanity and that of others, because that’s the only way we will remain as one.
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I used to want to be an artist when I was little. I was constantly drawing and painting—mostly about whatever fandom I found myself in at the time—and doodling on the margins of my notebooks to distract myself during class. I was so careless about it; I genuinely did not care how my drawings looked, and as you can imagine, a ten-year-old’s drawings might not be the best. The magic for me was in the process. Knowing how much I enjoyed making them made each piece feel museum-worthy, even if they clearly weren't. As I grew older and my skills improved, something in the process shifted; drawing started to feel grueling. I felt like no matter how hard I tried, my work was never good enough. I began creating hyper-realistic pieces—each one costing me countless hours and a lot of neck pain—and if they didn’t perfectly resemble a photograph, I felt like a failure. This quickly turned me into a sort of perfectionist maniac, forcing me to leave behind the passion that had once brought me so much joy. Now that AI has made its way into the visual world, I have started drawing again. The last thing I want to create, though, is anything realistic or polished. I want to draw abstract, imperfect, ironic pieces—the kind that remind me that flaws are exactly what make us human.