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OVER-ENGAGED BUT UNDER-STIMULATED.
FASHION | Written: Wairimu Njoroge
17.07.2025
I want you to think of the media we engage with inadvertently. Think billboards, radio, and advertisements. Now, add what we consume somewhat intentionally from social, print, digital, and online media. The amount we engage with is disproportionate to what stimulates interest. You may be wondering why this reality is becoming the norm. As trivial as it may sound, the volume of media we consume, intentionally or not, is far too vast.
Today’s media landscape illustrates our current situation. With the rise of short-form content, it is designed for quick consumption, making it digestible and offering immediate value. We can be presented with hundreds of thoughts or concepts, yet engage and still not be stimulated.
Often, we find ourselves spoiled for choice, and we don’t even know where to begin. Where do we turn to first? The majority of the time, it is a place where we are not cultivating our thoughts. It makes sense that, as a result, we are under-stimulated, left only with remnants of the dopamine hits our brains crave.
PHOTO | DEATH TO STOCK | Shauna Summers
Presented with so much to engage with, when we do find something that piques our interest, we instinctively decide to save it. In an attempt to archive things for later when we have the time to invest. Because of how rapidly things cycle, this archive then becomes an expansive place prone to being unreturned.
It has become a common occurrence to come across this style of question on TikTok or reels. What shoes, bikini, or outfits are we wearing this spring, summer, or winter? Decision-making has been outsourced and left to the audience. The comments section is brimming with responses. Proven by the engagement, six million views, close to seven thousand comments, and saved almost thirty-five thousand times. What has happened to finding things we like on our own?
Though there is no right or wrong way to find inspiration, this model fails to foster active consumption and subsequently stimulate. There are too many inputs too frequently that distort our cognitive process. The flow of thinking, learning, remembering, and reasoning is missing from the picture.
The call for intentional consumption is becoming a common conversation. As we refine our digital environments, we’re spending more time engaging with content that genuinely intrigues us. A cultural shift is underway, towards conscious, deliberate interaction with media.
Trends like “media I consumed this week instead of doomscrolling” and “dopamine menus” reflect our growing appetite for content that stimulates rather than numbs.
We are collating and sharing Substack posts, journal articles, video essays, and podcasts. We find comfort in curating a go-to list of things you can do throughout the day so you don’t default to doom-scrolling on social media. These concepts aren’t wildly revolutionary, but they emphasise that we appreciate the slowness and depth they foster.
The intention behind WINK was to be a place where conscious thought is encouraged, surrounding the conversations of art, fashion, culture, interior, and creativity. Here we invite you to slow down, think, agree, and disagree.
Looking back at our current climate and interaction with media, we have identified that it is crucial to consider what we consume and how it influences our perspective, opinions, and knowledge. Therefore, be intentional with what we as a publication put out to the world.
If you feel disenchanted with fast media or seek to understand the “why” and go beyond consuming surface-level content, you crave analysis, insight, and self-reflection; we invite you to stay a while. Our point of difference is that we encourage taking time. Here you see a shift from the traditional format where magazines do prioritise the hot topic. WINK prioritises conversations that need to be had and the analysis that comes with them.
We are not being ruled by constraints such as palatability or content fit to attention span sake. Our values, inclusive of slowness, intellect, and presentation, strive to engage and create a space for deep thinking. We are the attention, and conversations are in the details type of brand.
WINK. Remember that name.
For the most part, I think we will continue to see a shift to re-igniting stimulation within this space. It will only have the chance to change when we slow down and allow for the cultivation of our thoughts, intentions, and opinions. Are you ready to give back time to what your attention demands?