I caught myself at 11 PM last Tuesday, thumb still scrolling through Twitter, looking for… what exactly? I couldn’t even remember what I’d opened the app for. Two hours gone.
Sound familiar?
Doom scrolling isn’t a willpower problem. It’s a design problem. Social media algorithms are built to keep you scrolling, not to keep you informed. They serve what triggers engagement, not what actually helps you.
AI-powered RSS feeds flip that dynamic. You choose your sources. AI filters the noise. And when you’ve read everything that matters, you’re done. No infinite scroll. No outrage bait.
The quick answer: Set up Feedly or Inoreader (both have free tiers), subscribe to 10-15 sources you actually trust, and let the AI learn what you want to read. Train it for a week. Then delete Twitter from your phone and see what happens.
Here’s how this actually works.
Why Social Media Feeds Are Designed to Trap You
Let’s be honest about what’s happening when you open Twitter, Reddit, or any algorithmic feed. Those platforms make money when you stay longer. Every feature, every notification, every “you might also like” is engineered to keep you scrolling.
The algorithm doesn’t care if you’re informed. It cares if you’re engaged. Outrage keeps you engaged. Controversy keeps you engaged. That’s why your feed fills with takes that make you angry rather than articles that help you grow.
RSS feeds work differently. There’s no algorithm deciding what bubbles up. You subscribe to sources you trust, and you see everything they publish in chronological order. When you’ve read it all, you’re done. No infinite scroll. No “one more thing” pulling you back in.
What RSS Feeds Actually Are (Quick Refresher)
If you’ve never used RSS, here’s the 30-second version: most websites publish a feed (a simple file) that lists their latest articles. An RSS reader app checks those feeds and shows you new content from all your sources in one place.
Think of it like email subscriptions, but better organized and without the clutter. You’re not waiting for newsletters to hit your inbox. You open your reader when you’re ready to read, see what’s new, and close it when you’re done.
The magic happens when you add AI to this setup.
How AI Makes RSS Feeds Actually Usable
Old-school RSS had a problem: subscribe to 50 sources and you’re drowning in hundreds of articles daily. That’s just a different kind of overwhelm.
Modern AI-powered RSS readers solve this by learning what you actually read. They can:
Summarize articles so you can decide in seconds whether something’s worth your time.
Filter by topic to show only articles matching your interests, even from general news sources.
Prioritize content based on your reading history, surfacing the good stuff first.
Mute keywords so you never see articles about topics that trigger doom scrolling for you.
The result: you can subscribe to 100+ sources but only see the 10-15 articles per day that actually matter to you.
Best AI-Powered RSS Readers Worth Trying
After researching the options, three stood out for different use cases:
Feedly
Feedly is probably the most polished option. Their AI assistant “Leo” learns your preferences and can summarize articles, highlight key topics, and mute stuff you don’t want to see. The free tier is limited, but the Pro plan ($6/month) unlocks the AI features.
Best for: People who want a clean, modern interface with solid AI built in.
Inoreader
Inoreader is more powerful but slightly less pretty. It offers rules-based filtering that’s almost like programming your own AI. You can create complex conditions like “show me articles about Swift development but hide anything mentioning layoffs.”
Best for: Power users who want granular control over what they see.
Readwise Reader
Readwise Reader combines RSS with a read-later service and note-taking. It’s newer but has AI features for summarizing and the reading experience is excellent. If you already use Readwise for highlights, this integrates perfectly.
Best for: People who want reading, saving, and note-taking in one place.
How to Set Up Your Anti-Doom-Scroll System
Here’s the approach I’m planning to implement:
Step 1: Pick Your Reader
Start with Feedly if you want simplicity, Inoreader if you want power. Both have free tiers to test before committing.
Step 2: Choose 10-15 Sources You Actually Trust
Don’t go crazy subscribing to everything. Think about: What do I actually want to learn about? For me, that’s iOS development, AI news, and indie business. Three categories, maybe 5 sources each.
Find the RSS feed by looking for an orange RSS icon on the site, or just paste the site URL into your reader and it’ll usually find the feed automatically.
Step 3: Set Up AI Filters
In Feedly, train Leo by marking articles as “more like this” or “less like this.” In Inoreader, create rules that filter by keywords. Either way, spend 10 minutes teaching the system what you care about.
Step 4: Mute Your Triggers
What topics make you doom scroll? Politics? Celebrity drama? Layoff news? Mute those keywords so they never appear in your feed.
Step 5: Schedule Reading Time
This is the key habit change. Instead of checking feeds constantly, set specific times. Maybe 15 minutes with morning coffee and 15 minutes after lunch. When you’re done, close the app. The articles will still be there tomorrow.
The Mental Shift That Makes This Work
The technology is only half the solution. The other half is accepting that you don’t need to see everything.
Social media trains us to fear missing out. What if I miss the important tweet? What if everyone’s talking about something I didn’t see?
Here’s the truth: if something is truly important, you’ll hear about it. The stuff you “miss” by not doom scrolling? It was never going to improve your life anyway.
RSS with AI filtering is about intentional consumption. You decide what matters. You read on your schedule. You close the app when you’re done. That’s a fundamentally different relationship with content than what social media offers.
What I’m Still Figuring Out
I’m being honest here: I haven’t fully implemented this yet. I’ve tested the readers, I understand how they work, but building the habit is the hard part.
The challenges I’m anticipating:
Finding good RSS feeds. Not every site makes their feed easy to find. Some don’t have one at all.
Breaking the social media habit. My thumb still wants to open Twitter when I’m bored. That’s years of conditioning to undo.
Missing the community aspect. RSS is great for articles, but I’ll still need some social platform for conversations and networking.
These aren’t dealbreakers. They’re just the reality of changing how you consume information after years of doing it one way.
Common Questions About AI RSS Feeds
Do I need to pay for AI features?
The basic RSS reading is free on most platforms. AI summarization, priority ranking, and advanced filters usually require a paid tier ($5-10/month). Worth it if you’re serious about this, but start free to see if the concept works for you.
Can I follow YouTube channels and podcasts with RSS?
Yes. YouTube channels have RSS feeds (though they’re hidden), and most podcasts publish RSS by default. Your reader becomes a central hub for all content types.
What if a site doesn’t have an RSS feed?
Some services can create feeds from sites that don’t officially offer them. Feedly and Inoreader both have features for this. It’s not perfect, but it works for most major sites.
Won’t I still get overwhelmed with too many articles?
Only if you subscribe to too many sources. Start small (10-15 feeds), use AI filtering aggressively, and remember: it’s okay to mark everything as read and move on. The goal is less content, not more.
Ready to Try It?
If you’re tired of social media deciding what you see, RSS feeds with AI might be worth exploring. Start with Feedly or Inoreader, add a few sources you already read, and see how it feels to consume content on your terms.
For more ways AI can simplify your daily routine, check out our Start Here page. And if you’re interested in how AI can help with other overwhelming tasks, our guide to AI email management tackles a similar problem for your inbox.
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