What it looks like to leave social media

The messaging about social media is so confusing. On one hand, it’s the domain of the embarrassingly anti-intellectual, attention-hungry, vain, stupid, trollish... Yet on the other hand, social media can also supposedly propel people to the presidency and shape an entire generation’s opinion on geopolitical issues. So what does it mean to advocate ... See more

With Twitter especially, like during COVID, it was my attachment to society and community. But Twitter really flattens everything. Like, a tweet from a real, expert doctor about a COVID study would come after a tweet from somebody who doesn’t know anything and was making a glib joke about COVID case rates. Now, I can tell myself rationally that one... See more

Platforms like TikTok and Instagram are engines of distraction and cultural rot. They stand in front of the more difficult but more rewarding aspects of life: deep work, intimate connections with friends and loved ones, focused attention for hobbies with intrinsic rewards. By training users to crave constant novelty and the immediate approval of an... See more