social media is like cigarettes
After abstaining from social media for three days, relapsing on the fourth, and using it in limited bursts on the fifth, I’ve started to realize that social media is like cigarettes.
When I was spending 50 hours a week on social media, it felt like chain-smoking. During those three days of abstinence, I craved a hit of social media content every hour. To cope, I turned to chess.com, focusing on playing rather than winning. At first, playing against bots and learning was satisfying, but soon it only felt fun when I was competing against real people.
Now, as I use social media for a few minutes whenever the cravings hit, my interest in chess has vanished, and something feels lost in my mind—like a sense of control or mental discipline. Using social media like a cigarette every hour or so is making me feel aloof and less driven.
I believe social media should be classified as a controlled substance.