Digital hoarding is a current first-world problem, and many of us are guilty of it. We sign up for things that we don’t need, like email and streaming platform subscriptions, and endlessly collecting things like game apps, photos, and videos.
Why do we hoard these things? To answer that, we’ll take a look at the four main digital items we hoard, the psychology behind why we do it, and some tips on how to free ourselves of some of this clutter.
Email Subscriptions
How’s your inbox looking? Do you log in every day to hundreds of emails that you need to sift through before you can start work? If you said yes to this, you may be a chronic email subscriber without realizing it.
We all do it. We take an interest in a topic and find a site that can inform and educate. Oh look, a mailing list! Yes, let’s get updated on this random topic. We keep doing this, and then suddenly, our inbox is out of control.
Why do we do it? At first, it’s to meet a specific need, usually for more information. Sometimes the email subscription comes with perks like gifts, significant discounts, or broader connections.
But what happens when we lose interest in the topic? We have an inbox full of useless emails, that’s what. Fortunately, it’s easy to rectify this. Just go ahead and click that unsubscribe button now.
Streaming Platforms
Hands up if you subscribe to Netflix, Hulu, HBO, and Disney+. Do you also have a ton of movies and series in your ‘to watch’ list? If you added up all those hours of viewing that you’ve got queued up, you may realize that you’re not going to live long enough to watch all of it.
Why do we do this? We subscribe to different platforms for the simple reason that if we’re fans of Marvel, DC, and Disney, we won’t get all our content on the one platform. That’s a sneaky way for all the platforms to ensure they get a slice of the market.
As for why we queue so many shows, it could be as simple as wanting to take a trip down memory lane to rewatch an old favorite. There may be a series that everyone is talking about (we see you, Squid Game), so we have to queue it to be relevant. Then there are the movies and series that the platform matches to our interests, so we click add. The most significant issue is that we’re paying much more for streaming than we need to.
How do you decide which one to unsubscribe from? The solution is to look at which one you use the least. It’ll be tough going at first, but in time, you’ll not even miss it and be grateful for the extra savings each month.
Online Games
Why do we have 20 game apps installed on our smartphones, but only play at most three or four? We may have been recommended a game by a friend or family member we can play against. It’s also possible that we’ve clicked on an ad after seeing a game promoted so well that we must try it.
We’ve likely been enticed by promotions such as bonus coins, free games, dollar matching, and all-in-one platforms. If you’re into gambling and have made it a mission to find all the no-deposit bonus offers available, then you may be encouraged to sign up for as many online casinos as possible. But are you going to stay with every one of them and switch between them? Probably not. You’ll end up playing on the one that’s the most fun and has the best payouts—but let’s give props to all of them for doing their best to entice us in the first place.
What can you do in this instance? Have a look at your apps and gaming platform lists and note the last day you accessed any of them. If it’s been more than a year, remove it from your device. Don’t worry, all your game progress data and user account details is still there in the cloud on the off chance that you may want to play again.
Photo and Video Hoarding
Many of us have thousands of photos and videos on our devices. Even though we know we’re not going to look at them all, we can’t make ourselves delete them. There’s a reason behind this. We keep digital photos and videos to hold on to meaningful moments, fearing that deleting them might erase a part of our personal history or identity. We’re so emotionally attached to them that it is difficult to let go. Each image or clip can serve as a trigger for nostalgia and positive feelings, and that’s hard to erase.
However, what the excessive keeping of images leads to is full device hard drives or the need to purchase—possibly unnecessary—cloud storage. Apps exist that can go through all the files and remove duplicates and poor-quality images. But how many people use them? There are around 7 billion smartphone users on Earth, and the Remini App has 100 million users. That equates to 1.43%, suggesting the rest of us can’t bear to let go of these photos and videos.
Why not give one of these cleaning apps a go? Even if you don’t want to remove memories, duplicate images are filling up your device and wasting space. At least getting rid of these is a positive step.
Freedom from Digital Clutter
After reading this, have you seen yourself in one or more of these categories? That’s ok. Most of us are guilty of some form of digital hoarding. These behaviors tap into deeper psychological patterns—our fear of loss, our desire to be included, and our struggle with digital abundance.
Hopefully, you’ve taken on board some or all of the suggestions we’ve given you. So go ahead and reduce your inbox clutter, save on streaming services, remove some game apps, sign out of platforms you haven’t played on in a while, and clean up your photo storage. You’ll feel lighter, more organized, and less overwhelmed.