---
title: "RSS - the perfect antidote to the cramped modern web"
pubDate: 'Jan 24 2026'
description: ""
draft: false
---

Feeling overwhelmed by [the cramped city center of the modern web](/blog/the-internet-is-fun-again)?

I've got the perfect antidote for you: **RSS** - also known as _Really Simple Syndication_.

RSS, for those who don't know it, is _a webfeed that allows users and applications to access updates to websites in a standardized, computer-readable format_.[^1] Below is a "less heavy" explanation by [Tim](https://timharek.no/) in his post _"How I RSS"_ [^2]: 

> _"You can think of RSS as a way to subscribe to a bunch of stuff without having to sign up for a bunch of different services."_

Back in 2024, [I quit a lot of social media platforms](/blog/leaving_social_media_or_most_of_them) and deleted most of my accounts. It felt pretty good, especially not having to worry about the typical melodramatic situations, like unfollowing someone - e.g. a friend or someone you grew up with - that don't post things you like or care about.

The "follow"-button is mostly used as an indication of you being aquianted with this person in some way. To me it's somewhat crazy to think that people need to worry about who they're following or who they're not following - it's unnecessary stress put on yourself. The fact that social media has a "mute"-function[^3] now says something about it. RSS helps with stuff like that, as you have no clue whether someone is subscribed to your RSS feed or not - unless you setup analytics for it yourself. 

RSS also gives you the freedom to choose your own content to watch without being affected by algorithms, "for you"-pages, or a timeline filled with "recommended" bs.

The book [Filterworld](https://www.kylechayka.com/filterworld) sums up the feeling of, or say problem with, algorithms in a good way:

> _"While we have the advantage of freedom of choice, the endless array of options presented by algorithmic feeds often instills a sense of meaningslessness."_

So, if you're feeling overwhelmed by the modern web and the sea of social media platforms, try RSS. It helped me with both becoming more aware of my consumption, as well as becoming less stressed of having to keep up with every platform.

Want to read more about RSS I recommend checking out some of these posts aswell:

- [Leveraging RSS feeds in the health and wellness industry: A Comprehensive Case Study](https://moldstud.com/articles/p-leveraging-rss-feeds-in-the-health-and-wellness-industry-comprehensive-case-study)
- [I've been advocating for RSS support, and you should too](https://reedybear.bearblog.dev/ive-been-advocating-for-rss-support-and-you-should-too/)
- [Using RSS feeds may be better for your mental health](https://openrss.org/blog/rss-feeds-may-be-better-for-your-mental-health)
- [Bring Back RSS Feeds to Browsers](https://jetgirl.art/bring-back-rss-feeds-to-browsers/)
- [i love you, rss](https://mei.bearblog.dev/i-love-you-rss/)
- [You should use RSS](https://blog.remainna.xyz/you-should-use-rss/)

---

[^1]:[Wikipedia's](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS) descripiton of what RSS is
[^2]: [Tim's "How I RSS" blogpost](https://timharek.no/blog/how-i-rss/)
[^3]: [An actual aricle about how to ignore people on social media](https://www.popsci.com/ignore-people-on-social-media/)
