F ³: Timeline Cleanse

Just when you feel that everything pouring out of your social media faucet is TOO MUCH, there may come a moment of blissful reset

It is the Timeline Cleanse. I went on Bluesky this morning with the intent of deliberately seeking them out. Some examples of what people share: pets, nature - - both flora and fauna, cute babies, musical performances of all sorts, funny signs, works of art. And whatever this is:

https://bsky.app/profile/johnnybarbu.bsky.social/post/3lprdcfrgds2m

I tried to find a backstory for this but only came up with this sentence:

“Clown drummer rocks it with balls!”

No, really, watch it. It’s not what you think.

You probably won’t be surprised that We Rate Dogs posts come up frequently in a Timeline Cleanse. Also shots from backyard camera bird feeders. Today I found dogs, cats, goldfish, lizards, baby deer, baby squirrels, bounty from a Spring Farmers’ Market, a garden in bloom, a pet bird playing with a new toy, art from a museum visit, a joke, a cactus making a rude gesture, and a symphony orchestra in Madrid playing the Flintstones theme.

I’ve always imagined that “Timeline Cleanse” may have its roots in the term palate cleanser - - a dish in a long and fancy meal that is meant to refresh the taste buds. According to Know Your Memes,

Timeline Cleanse is a frequently used caption for social media posts that showcase positive, cute or wholesome photographs, usually of animals, celebrities or people smiling.

The first known use was on Twitter.

On December 5th, 2014, Twitter user @RedSaid posted an series of images of a man with his two daughters. They captioned the tweet, "Necessary timeline cleanse, Because: beautiful. @_BlackFathers: 😍😍❤" (shown below, right). This is the earliest known usage of the "timeline cleanse" as it is most commonly used.

I didn’t see many celebrities in today’s search. Just one, I think.

What’s important about a Timeline Cleanse is not simply what it is. It’s what it does. It makes you smile. It makes you stop doomscrolling. It evokes joy, a laugh, a brief but desperately necessary moment that is not suffering, not anger, not despair. It reminds you that whoever posted this thing is human, and you are human, too and that we are connected in that moment.

We hope for the good, together. We are not alone in the void. We still, despite everything, wish good for eachother and are still nurturing that basic human need to share joy.

Send me your favorite Timeline Cleanse examples in the comments. We’ll all benefit from taking a breath and enjoying a moment of respite and reset. Here’s one from me to start us off, some nature fun from my birdfeeder.

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