The title sounds like a bold claim because it’s uncomfortable, not because it’s wrong.
Call it your soul, your energy, your consciousness.
Social media hunts people like prey. It targets, manipulates, and crawls into the back of your mind when you retake the same photo 500 times to get “the right angle” or “perfect lighting.” It hacks your awareness, following you around and whispering, You should take a video of that sunset.
If you don’t have a picture it never happened.
He/she will come across my profile and see how attractive I look here.
You rewatch your stories. You take another snap of the coffee, the nails, the book, the sunset, your makeup, your outfit, your kids, your car.
At what point does anything remain yours? Once it has been shared with the world, is it truly yours? Are you living in a recorded simulation? Can you go a week without scrolling? A month?
How about the moments when you cannot avoid comparing your life to someone else’s? Or the times you watch motivational videos to get your life on track, but the dopamine hit you get from those videos tells your brain that your goal has been met, and so, you never take real action.
What about when you feel like stretching or reading before bed, but you cannot avoid scrolling?
If this feels familiar, I am sorry to say that social media feeds your brain like fuel. Instagram speaks in your subconscious at the new bistro, the Christmas party, and any moment that should be enjoyed in solitude. That influence is toxic. If you do not maintain control over your thoughts, and they run you instead, you are trapped in a system engineered by design to keep you hooked.
I suppose social media isn’t inherently evil if you maintain self-control. Everyone thinks they have it, though, even I. I hold onto social media for awareness about the world, because it hurts to be ignorant. Sure, I’m not on the brain-rot side of Instagram, but I could be doing much more fruitful things with my time, which social media snatches away.
I don’t think anyone can truly beat the system, even if their screen time is minimal. You might gain profit, visibility, or a community, but nothing comes without consequence. The platform always takes something in return. And, in every case, I believe that something is your soul.
There are a few changes you can make. I delete the Instagram app until I decide to upload a post. This isn’t foolproof, though, because I tend to scroll after posting. The only real alternative may be to step away entirely. While I only downloaded Instagram a few months ago to create a blog/photography account, along with a poetry account, I’m heavily considering deleting my account altogether.
Whatever path you choose, don’t ignore what staying on social media costs you.
Best, Nicole.
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