I am not interested in mindless content, but I must be exposed to it when its playing.
Over the past 3-4 years, as I have been becoming Orthodox, I have valued stillness and quiet more and more.
I have chosen to follow those little moments with the Jesus Prayer.

And I have come to a realization about prayer: it is near impossible to actually pray when a song you don't like is stuck in your head.
Every commercial break, every ad on a streaming service, most social media videos always have songs playing.

Attempting to pray through a prayer rope with distractions like songs you disdain buried deep in you mind is an abomination.
Dare I say, demonic. This isn't to say bad music is demonic (I'm not my parents), but I'm sure the demons can use ear worms as a weapon.

On the bright side, I am beginning to better understand what the author of The Watchful Mind means when he describes the necessity to strive hard during the practice of noetic prayer.
Prayer is a battle where we must pick up our swords and go to war.

And if prayer is a war, exposure to advertisements and social media is frequently like going into war after being bound by your enemy.

No thank you.