If you’ve been on YouTube any time in the past…I dunno, decade, you’ve definitely seen a video that looks like this coming across your feed: ![[Ambient Videos and the Chaos of Being Alive-1785088606482.png]] I clicked one of these when I was having trouble sleeping a few months ago and they’ve refused to leave my feed since. And there’s *so. many. of them.* Which naturally led me thinking about why. Of course the main reason is simply that these ambiance videos are simply Nice. Maybe you live alone and need the stimulation. Maybe you just like the aesthetic[^1]. But look at the comment section and you’ll begin to see a deeper story. The comment section of a “get some sleep” ambiance video might be the nicest place one could be on the internet right now. Every single one is filled with people discussing their problems, getting support from random internet strangers, and others just hoping that you have a good day. It was striking to me. I’m technically speaking for myself here, but I’m sure others can relate to feeling of having problems that you can’t really tell your friends or family about — maybe because you feel like you’ve complained to them enough, or maybe because they *are* the problem, lol. It’s the whole reason I've been journaling for the past two decades. But a journal can’t talk to you, or give you advice. So I can see the appeal of these ambiance videos in that regard. In a world that feels like it’s getting increasingly chaotic, and not slowing down any time soon, these videos act like checkpoints of sorts. There’s an unspoken understanding that everyone is there to get some good vibes and support. It can feel a bit forced, or even saccharine at times. But I’d rather a person hang out here and get some support that’s a little cheesy than yap to ChatGPT any day of the week. I’ve taken to throwing one of these videos on when I about to sleep lately, and it's honestly helped. There are a lot of nice ones with videogame music in them — which is nice because that lets me know immediately that the vid isn’t AI generated. Plus they can come with cute little portraits, like the ones that SleepyFrisk uses:  Let me know if you use these videos to get some rest, or have any in particular that you like. One of the other styles I’m fond of are the **Animal Crossing** dioramas — but perhaps those are best left for another post. Get some rest. [^1]: assuming you can dodge all the ones that are AI generated trash, of course.