Hi everyone! Welcome to my first voidpost of 2026.
First—you may have noticed that I am no longer writing on Substack. This is because, one day after I launched the Substack version of voidposting, I learned that Substack is a nazi platform (tl;dr, Substack allows newsletters that foment hateful sentiment to essentially run unchecked on its platform (including neo-nazi newsletters) and refuses to put preventative measures in place to regulate these, despite censoring other kinds of content. More info/context here. We all know the adage—if you let a nazi hang out in your bar, it’s a nazi bar). Me and my work are not interested in being around that, so we left. Beehiiv, which I’m on now, was the best alternative I could find that offers a free plan to smaller newsletters. So here we find ourselves.
Today I want to talk about the in/out lists that people have been making around the end of December/beginning of January for the past two or three new years. Of course, they’ve become an object of cultural sublimation. The act of creating one invites a feeling of superior foresight, imposing one’s own will on the nebulous, unknown mass of time that lies ahead. I won’t act like I don’t like them—I even found myself creating a mental list towards the end of November, deciding what I wanted to leave in 2025 and what I wanted more of in 2026. In: house music, dinner parties, the 80/20 rule. Out: chapped lips, Spotify, wasted time. It felt like a more casual way to approach any New Year’s Resolutions I was interested in making.
Upon further reflection, though, I find the casual nature of these in/out lists to be reflective of how the Internet generation approaches life, and I’m not so sure I enjoy it. Making an in/out list felt easier because it didn’t involve any commitment. Every in/out exists in this abstract realm, entirely in theory, and lacks any legitimate call for IRL manifestation or application. When I say, “in: dinner parties,” it’s distinct from saying “In 2026, I am going to host more dinner parties.” It removes any aspect of accountability from the action. I am not chasing the dinner parties, I attract them. Rather than have to commit to a change or idea, I am simply saying that there should be more dinner parties around me. It could be me hosting them or it could be someone else.
Crucially, this vacuuming of commitment reflects a more widely applicable state of being in the world—one that is commitment-phobic and believes that the world around it is manufactured in such a way that all its needs will eventually be met, no action required. I believe it’s why vaping and open relationships/situationships are so popular, as they provide all the instant gratification of nicotine, or of love, but allow the user to disengage and get distracted by the next thing however often they please (another essay on contemporary cigarette culture coming soon, Amber, I know you’re waiting for it and I have not forgotten you). A cigarette requires a step outside, a minute or two or three dedicated to nothing else but smoking the cigarette, as it must be smoked in its entirety or thrown away. A New Year’s Resolution requires action and commitment to a long-term goal. The “in/out” provides an attention-economy friendly alternative.
I’m also thinking about how this might relate to daily sensory overload and the exhaustion that results. Perhaps we no longer have the energy to be committed to things. It’s a vicious cycle we find ourselves caught up in. So, in 2026 I resolve to commit myself more to things. I am going to go to more events that play house music, I am going to host more dinner parties, and I am going to continue to adhere to the 80/20 rule. I am going to apply lip balm more frequently and stop picking my lips, I am going to choose CDs, records, and Souncloud over Spotify, and I am going to fill my in-between time with things I enjoy and dedicate myself more to what I am interested in. I am going to write more of these things because I enjoy the conversations that come from sharing my ideas with my friends.
Thanks for reading. Happy New Year! :D