My Internet: Taylor Tomlinson
Comedian Taylor Tomlinson shares her selective approach to internet consumption, prioritizing long-form content like Substack and podcasts while limiting algorithmic social media to specific times. She emphasizes the importance of thoughtful digital boundaries and expresses concerns about AI and the challenges Gen Z faces growing up online.
Summary
Taylor Tomlinson, a Netflix comedian and author, discusses her intentional relationship with the internet in this interview. She quit Twitter years ago, citing stress as the reason, and now deliberately limits her TikTok and Instagram use to evening treadmill sessions. For content consumption, she favors Substack, podcasts, and long-form writing that allows for deeper exploration of topics and emotions rather than the constraints of short-form video platforms. She refuses to use ChatGPT or AI tools due to concerns about their broader societal and environmental impacts, and uses her phone primarily for essential functions like calls, emails, and maps. Tomlinson also reflects on generational differences in online presence, noting sympathy for Gen Z's experience of growing up with constant documentation while acknowledging their superior ability to detect AI. Her podcast consumption follows a pattern of intense obsession followed by abandonment and cyclical return. She demonstrates personal attachment to internet culture through preferences for voice notes from new dating interests, specific emoji meanings, and niche communities like book-themed eBay finds. Her content discovery process has shifted away from algorithm-dependent platforms—she now conducts Reddit deep dives before making purchases rather than trusting TikTok recommendations. She also expresses nostalgia for earlier internet culture, specifically requesting the return of Tumblr.
About this episode
The comedian thinks growing up online must be incredibly scary.
Key Insights
- Tomlinson views leaving Twitter as one of her best decisions, suggesting that platform's design inherently creates stress for users regardless of content value.
- She argues that most worthwhile conversations require longer formats than the 2-minute constraint of short-form video platforms, making Substack and podcasts more suitable for substantive discussion.
- Tomlinson expresses general fear of AI technology and distrust of its societal and environmental effects, leading her to completely avoid using AI tools despite their increasing availability.
- She observes that Gen Z, despite growing up with the anxiety of constant online documentation, has developed superior skills in detecting synthetic media and AI compared to older generations.
- Tomlinson's content discovery process has shifted from algorithmic feeds to manual research (Reddit deep dives), indicating declining trust in platform recommendations and advertiser-driven content.
Topics
Transcript
Embedded is your essential guide to what’s good on the internet, written by Kate Lindsay and edited by Nick Catucci. Every other week (or so) we quiz a “very online” person for their essential guide to what’s good on the internet. Today we welcome Taylor Tomlinson , a comedian who has done four Netflix specials, including her latest, Prodigal Daughter . Her first book, Actually, Nevermind , will be published on September 22. Taylor loves voice notes from people she just started dating and tries to save TikTok and Instagram for her nightly treadmill session. — Nick “I feel for Gen Z—growing up posting online sounds incredibly scary.” My siblings sent me this video by Sam Rocha doing an impression…
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