I hate that I love social media

Instagram is so annoying and Tiktok is mind numbing, but they're both so addictive. I think at first they were just harmless ways to share moments with friends, but now people are becoming obsessed with being this perfectly curated influencer. There's just something so strange of seeing someone posting a video of them crying over something personal for millions of people to see just to get views. Everyone dresses, talks, and acts the same because they're all following the lead of some stranger on the internet that claims to have authority over what's trendy.

I've spent the past two days completely off of the apps and it honestly felt surreal to not have content shoved down my throat 24/7. I almost felt lonely. I think it's nice to hear people's experiences and be exposed to different styles, but subcultures and nuance have been destroyed for the sake of commodification and influence. No one wants to think for themselves anymore and it will have lasting effects, even if we can't see it yet.

This isn't me being in support of the tiktok ban because I think that's bullshit. I am, however, in support of gatekeeping - just to keep things real.