Unplug, reconnect

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Introduction

I searched high and low across the web, but I couldn’t find a single place that laid out all the reasons why social media is as problematic as it is. So, I decided to put one together.

Now, you might read through the points below and dismiss one or two—or even a few of them—thinking they’re not all that convincing. And sure, no single argument might seem like a dealbreaker. But when you take them all in together, it becomes nearly impossible to deny the magnitude of the issue.

The truth is, we don’t have to wait for governments to step in, for lawsuits to unfold, or for yet another damning report to land on the news. The most powerful thing we can do, right here and now, is simply to walk away. Social media doesn’t deserve the hold it has on us. Let’s break free.

Anger

It’s a scientifically proven[1] negative emotions capture our attention far more than positive ones ever could. Social media algorithms—designed to keep us scrolling—exploit this to the fullest. These algorithms aren’t concerned with your happiness or well-being; they’re laser-focused on one thing: engagement.

Think about it—our emotions are being steered by a machine. You get upset over something you see, you react to it, and suddenly, the algorithm feeds you more of the same. It’s a vicious cycle: the angrier you get, the more you interact, and the better it is… for them. For you? Not so much.

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Hate

Hate and anger go hand in hand. When you’re angry, you’re driven to act—and that’s exactly what social media platforms are counting on. They thrive on the chaos of heated debates and fiery exchanges. It doesn’t matter how toxic things get, as long as you’re clicking, commenting, and sharing. For them, it’s all engagement, and engagement is gold.

But there’s a deeper issue. Over time, users become more hostile, less willing to engage in genuine conversations with those who think differently. Disagreements morph into judgment, and meaningful dialogue fades away.

Sure, social media gives us the option to report hateful or insulting content, but here’s the catch: you can’t report a feeling. Platforms may try to moderate what’s posted, but let’s be honest—they’re overwhelmed. With the sheer volume of posts flooding in every second, it’s impossible to catch it all. And often, they simply don’t try hard enough.

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Polarization

It’s no secret that hate-filled rhetoric and unchecked anger breed division and polarization in society. We’ve all heard the word “polarization” thrown around lately, but here’s the kicker: it’s not just a one-way street. It’s not only the “bad guys” that drive division; it’s also the people with differing opinions who are no longer willing to listen. That’s what’s truly dangerous.

And here’s the thing: social media isn’t exactly helping. These platforms don’t exactly foster understanding or encourage civil discourse. Instead, they thrive on the noise, the division, and the extremism. They don’t make it easy for us to hear each other out; in fact, they often do the opposite. A space for peaceful exchange of ideas? Not so much.

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Misinformation

One of the defining issues of 2020—and honestly, the last few months as well—is how social media makes it nearly impossible to distinguish fact from fiction. Sure, misinformation has always existed, but social media has amplified it to dangerous levels. When high-profile figures like Donald Trump—or anyone with significant influence—post something, sure, it can be fact-checked. But keeping up with the constant flow of content and ensuring that nothing false slips through the cracks? That’s practically impossible for platform owners.

The real debate revolves around responsibility. Who should be held accountable when fake news spreads like wildfire? That’s where Section 230 comes in, a law that says social media platforms aren’t liable for the content shared on their sites. It’s a hot topic, and rightfully so. At the end of the day, shouldn’t we, as individuals, take responsibility for what we post and share? Publishing content isn’t exempt from scrutiny just because it’s on social media.

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Bubble

Social media algorithms are like the ultimate puppet masters, designed to keep you hooked for as long as possible. They don’t just serve up ads—they offer up content they know will keep you coming back for more. “You may also like,” “similar to this,”—these are just their subtle ways of whispering, “Go ahead, stay a little longer, dive a little deeper.”

The real issue isn’t just that we’re getting sucked in. It’s that we end up trapped in a bubble. The more you scroll, the more you’re surrounded by content that aligns with your beliefs and interests, while everything else fades into the background, almost irrelevant. Think back to the last political election you followed: if you were getting your updates from social media, chances are, you were convinced your side had it in the bag—no matter the outcome. That’s the danger of living in a bubble: you start to see a reality that’s warped, distorted, and far from the full picture.

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Quality

Take a moment and reflect: how much of your social media feed is actually filled with content that adds value to your life—deep thoughts, insightful ideas, and meaningful discussions? Now, how much of it is selfies, pictures of models, memes, and adorable puppies? The real concern here is the dramatic decline in the quality and depth of what we’re consuming.

Thanks to social media, we’re constantly distracted by things that are, more often than not, irrelevant and lack any real substance. We’re spending less time engaging with culture, knowledge, and learning, and more time lost in an endless scroll of entertainment that, while fun, doesn’t exactly nurture our minds.

Now, don’t get me wrong—I’m not knocking lighthearted fun or silly videos. I’m simply worried about how much of that frivolous content is taking over the space where deeper, more meaningful content should be.

Addiction

It might seem like it’s just those pesky push notifications, or the endless buzzing of our phones that pulls us back in—every time someone comments on our latest post, we feel compelled to check. But it’s more than that. The real issue lies in the way social media is designed: it’s engineered to keep us hooked, to give us just enough satisfaction so we start to feel like we need it.

Now, some might scoff and say, “Oh, I’m not addicted! It’s not that big of a deal.” But here’s a challenge: try uninstalling all your social media apps for a month, just out of curiosity. Treat it like an experiment. I bet by the end of that month, you’d have a newfound appreciation for just how deeply ingrained it is in your daily routine—and you probably won’t be eager to do it again anytime soon.

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Distraction

Distraction and addiction go hand in hand, and in the case of social media, it’s a vicious cycle. The more we’re driven to check our apps for new likes or updates, the less we engage with the things that actually matter. It’s not just about time—it’s about focus and commitment, too. Social media trains us to bounce from one piece of content to the next at breakneck speed, with our eyes barely lingering on a picture for five seconds.

As a result, in our real lives, when it comes time to concentrate on something for a prolonged period, it feels like a Herculean effort. Now, I’m not saying that lack of focus is only caused by social media. But let’s be honest: mindlessly scrolling through feeds certainly doesn’t help build the focus muscle we need to tackle anything that requires sustained attention.

Data

Whether we realize it or not, simply scrolling through social media—watching videos, browsing pictures, or reading posts—gives platform owners an enormous amount of data about us. And the best part? We’re handing it over for free. Even the “deliberate” data we share gets piled up over time—day after day, month after month, year after year. The result? Well, it’s pretty unsettling. So, what’s all this personal information really being used for? The answer is simple—and a little creepy: user profiling.

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Profilation

This might just be one of the biggest reasons people decide to delete their social media accounts. The issue is pretty straightforward: our data is being used to figure out who we are. If that was the extent of it, it wouldn’t feel as troubling. After all, in this digital age, some of our information is bound to slip through the cracks. But here’s the real kicker—it’s not just about knowing who we are; it’s about how our identities, our interests, our fears, desires, and even our anger are handled—and, more importantly, what they’re used for.

It’s no secret that our personal data is sold to advertisers who then flood our feeds with ads “tailored” to us. That might seem fine on the surface, especially if it’s just for marketing. But here’s the twist: it’s not just ads for the latest gadget or clothing trend. More likely, we’re being targeted with political ads—not to sell us something, but to manipulate our behavior and shape how we see the world. It’s a sneaky way of reinforcing the bubble we’ve unknowingly been trapped in, blurring our perception of reality.

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Monopolization

Is there really any way to get your voice heard, promote a product, share a political opinion, call out an injustice, showcase art, or communicate anything to the public without leaning on social media? Whether social media is “good” or “bad” doesn’t matter as much as this one fact: in today’s world, if you want to be seen or noticed, it feels like you have no choice but to rely on platforms controlled by giant corporations. These platforms use our content to fuel their growth—growing endlessly and raking in unimaginable profits. It’s a system that’s not just unfair—it’s downright unjust.

Social media corporations are monopolies, and they’ve built walls so high that competition hardly stands a chance. They either buy out their competitors or are so massive that losing a sliver of market share barely makes a dent. Take Facebook, for instance: it’s currently being sued in the U.S. by the government and several states for the very accusation of unlawfully acquiring competitors and shutting down any chance for real competition. It’s a game rigged in their favor.

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Sociality

In the end, so-called “social” media aren’t all that social anymore, are they? When you really stop and think about it, they seem more focused on everything but socializing. You’re constantly bombarded with ads, pushed new features you never asked for, and flooded with low-quality content at every turn. And in the chaos, you lose sight of what these platforms were supposed to be about: real human connections.

Why can’t we just sit back and have a conversation with our friends or read other people’s thoughts on a topic—without being sidetracked by a hundred other distractions thrown at us by social media companies who are just trying to make more money?

Further information

Time

Aren’t you scared about how much time you spend staring at a screen?

Look at your devices’ usage stats.

Standardization

What does creativity really have to do with all of this? Well, when you look at the monopolization of online spaces, it’s clear—there’s little to no alternative if you want to make a public presence known without relying on a social media profile. Unless you’ve already made a name for yourself, it’s nearly impossible to reach a wide audience without plugging into the social media machine.

The result? The vast majority of us end up displaying our content and public image on platforms that all have the same layout, the same rules, the same colors. You can try to get creative with how you post or edit, but at the end of the day, you’re still boxed in by the same rigid standards.

Social media is slowly but surely eroding diversity. It’s standardizing the way we present ourselves, the way we communicate, and—perhaps most frustratingly—the way we share images. Everything starts to blend together; the context gets lost. Our personalities and unique identities get swallowed up, all hidden behind the same generic profiles and layouts that everyone else uses. Creativity? It’s there, but it’s fighting an uphill battle.

Content ownership

Is what we post on social media really ours? The answer is both simple and frustrating, and it comes straight from the policies of the two biggest social media giants.

Spoiler alert: On paper, yes, we technically “own” our content. But in reality, the situation is far murkier. While we hold the ownership rights, platforms have the power to do whatever they please with it. Once that post is live, it’s out of our hands—completely out of our control. So, while we might technically own our content, the real question is: Do we actually own it if we can’t control what happens to it?

Facebook

From Facebook’s Terms of Service

[…] when you share, post, or upload content that is covered by intellectual property rights on or in connection with our Products, you grant us a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, and worldwide license to host, use, distribute, modify, run, copy, publicly perform or display, translate, and create derivative works of your content (consistent with your privacy and application settings). […]

Source

Twitter

From Twitter’s Terms of Service

[…] By submitting, posting or displaying Content on or through the Services, you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license (with the right to sublicense) to use, copy, reproduce, process, adapt, modify, publish, transmit, display and distribute such Content in any and all media or distribution methods now known or later developed (for clarity, these rights include, for example, curating, transforming, and translating). […]

Source

Tik Tok

From Tik Tok’s Terms of use

[…] You or the owner of your User Content still own the copyright in User Content sent to us, but by submitting User Content via the Services, you hereby grant us an unconditional irrevocable, non-exclusive, royalty-free, fully transferable, perpetual worldwide licence to use, modify, adapt, reproduce, make derivative works of, publish and/or transmit, and/or distribute and to authorise other users of the Services and other third-parties to view, access, use, download, modify, adapt, reproduce, make derivative works of, publish and/or transmit your User Content in any format and on any platform, either now known or hereinafter invented. […]

You further grant us a royalty-free license to use your user name, image, voice, and likeness to identify you as the source of any of your User Content;

Source

Important passage:

[…] you are granting us the right to use your User Content without the obligation to pay royalties to any third party […]

Source

Further informations

Hurry

As noted in distraction, we tend to breeze through our feeds at lightning speed, giving barely a second’s thought to what’s in front of us. We mindlessly double-tap and like hundreds of posts a day, so often that the true significance of the content slips away. One moment, we’re scrolling past a selfie of a friend showing off her new makeup, and the next, we’re faced with a heartbreaking video of a forest ravaged by wildfire. Doesn’t that feel a bit… off? Is it right to flick between such starkly different topics—jumping from tragic, gut-wrenching images to lighthearted, silly ones in mere moments?

I don’t think this is how human nature is meant to work. To truly learn, to really feel something, we need to slow down and dedicate ourselves fully. But social media flattens everything, putting each post into the same generic container. As a result, we lose the ability to empathize, to feel compassion, and, worst of all, we lose the capacity to tell what truly matters from what’s just a joke.

Further reading

Simplicity vs simplification

On social media, everything feels like a game—simplified, bite-sized, and easy to digest. But here’s the truth: life isn’t simple. The world we live in is a swirling maze of complexity, brimming with contradictions, mysteries, and gray areas. Social media, however, tries to flatten it all, packaging knowledge like it’s a vending machine snack—quick, convenient, and always within reach. But real understanding doesn’t work that way.

While web developers strive for elegance and minimalism, social media pushes oversimplification, stripping nuance from issues that demand depth. Instead of exploring the layers of an argument, algorithms feed us what we already agree with, reinforcing our beliefs and making everything seem black and white. We lose sight of the bigger picture—the perspectives we’re not shown, the voices on the other side.

Simplification is dangerous; simplicity, when well-placed, can be beautiful. But it doesn’t belong everywhere. Maybe it’s time to step away from social media and embrace the full, messy, complex reality of our world. Let’s flip the coin and see what we’ve been missing.

Being always connected

The paragraph title says it all. Do we really need to be this connected? Do we really need to look at the hundreds of media published and shared by the ones we follow, everyday?

I believe the answer is no, and I’m not the only one.

Environment

This might not be the strongest argument on this page, but it’s still worth bringing to the table.

Facebook has pledged to go 100% renewable by 2030, even dedicating an entire website to its sustainability efforts. Admirable, right? But here’s the thing: social media companies rely on an untold number of massive, energy-hungry servers scattered across the globe. These supercomputers run around the clock, ensuring that every post, like, and comment is instantly accessible to billions. While they might claim their energy comes from renewable sources, the sheer scale of their operations means the environmental impact is still enormous.

On a personal note, global warming looms as the most pressing crisis of our time (pandemic aside). It’s measurable, tangible, and deeply threatening. Yet, my concern about social media runs even deeper. Unlike climate change, the erosion of internet freedom is subtle, lurking in the background, with only a whisper of the attention it deserves. It’s a quiet crisis, but its implications for our society and individual autonomy are immense.

Quitting social media may feel like a small step, but it’s a step toward a better world—one with more freedom, less waste, and perhaps a little more peace of mind.

Closed

Imagine this: I’m an influencer, and I decide to pack my digital bags and move to a lesser-known social networking platform—let’s say Mastodon, Pixelfed, Friendica, or Diaspora. Sounds exciting, right? But here’s the catch: outside my current social media bubble, unless I already have a massive, dedicated fanbase, I’d have no followers, no audience, no way to connect with people who cared about my content. Essentially, I’d be starting from scratch, shouting into a void.

This little thought experiment highlights just how locked-in social media users really are. These platforms don’t play nice with each other; they’re walled gardens competing for your attention. If, for some reason, Twitter shut down tomorrow, you’d have no way to seamlessly carry on your Twitter presence elsewhere. The entire ecosystem is designed to keep you tethered to the big players, as if a world outside them simply doesn’t exist.

But here’s the thing: it does exist. We just have to take a leap of faith to prove it. Let’s explore, connect, and create outside the walls they’ve built. The internet is bigger than the giants—it’s time we start acting like it.

Further Reading

Saturation

The entire business model of Social Media hinges on offering a “free” service to users while flooding them with ads. I’ve already delved into how problematic these ads can be, but let’s shift the spotlight to their sustainability. Back when I used Instagram—over a year ago—I couldn’t help but notice ads popping up every three stories. Posts weren’t much better, with ads sprinkled everywhere like confetti at a party you didn’t ask to attend.

Here’s the kicker: this business model is starting to buckle under its own weight. The ad saturation is so overwhelming that individual advertisements are worth mere fractions of what they once were. Social Media platforms are skating on thin ice. Without a major evolution in their profit strategies, their dominance might just come crashing down. They’re hurtling toward a tipping point, and it’s only a matter of time before change becomes unavoidable.

But here’s the beauty: we don’t have to stick around to witness this slow-motion train wreck. By stepping away, deleting our accounts, and reclaiming our time, we free ourselves from the chaos. The value of an ad, the volume of ads crammed into a feed—all of it becomes someone else’s problem. And in that independence lies true freedom.

Children

The online world, meant to connect and empower, has also become a dangerous place for children. While it’s impossible to pinpoint exactly how many young lives are affected, global reports reveal a heartbreaking reality—online sexual exploitation is not just widespread; it’s escalating at an alarming rate.

In 2022, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a staggering 32 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation, from child sexual abuse material (CSAM) to online enticement and trafficking. Meanwhile, research from the WeProtect Global Alliance in 2021 found that 1 in 3 internet users worldwide is a child, with millions at risk of abuse in digital spaces.

Even more troubling, a 2023 UN study uncovered a disturbing trend—self-generated CSAM is on the rise, as predators manipulate children into creating and sharing explicit content. Social media, gaming platforms, and encrypted apps have become hunting grounds for offenders, making the fight against online exploitation more urgent than ever.

Despite relentless efforts by law enforcement and child protection organizations, the sheer scale of this crisis remains overwhelming. But awareness is the first step toward action. Every report, every safeguard, and every conversation about online safety brings us closer to protecting the most vulnerable among us.

More than 300 million child victims of online sexual abuse globally: report

Childlight Global Child Safety Institute at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland

Being used

If we pause and reflect, we might realize something unsettling: we’re not really using social media; social media are using us. Consider the things you do through these platforms—couldn’t most of them be done elsewhere, perhaps even better? The truth is, quitting feels daunting because we’re stepping out of a closed system, one where the rules are fixed and out of our hands. Social media offer no room for negotiation. It’s their way or no way. As individuals, we hold no sway over how these platforms operate.

These platforms enforce countless rules, constraints, and preconceived systems that leave us as mere participants in their game, not empowered users. Every post, every like, every comment we make generates value—not for us, but for the corporations running the show. We’re told the trade-off is worth it because social media connect us, help us form relationships, and even find love. But is it really true? Couldn’t we achieve all of that, perhaps even more meaningfully, without social media? The inconvenient truth is, we can—but we don’t.

The only way to stop being used by social media is to leave them entirely. There’s no gray area, no compromise. The idea of “mindful usage” is as hollow as the claim that these platforms don’t shape society.

But we do have a choice. In our hands lies the power to say “no.” We can step away, reject the system, and restore what these platforms have dulled—diversity, empathy, calm, peace, art, meaning, and genuine human connection.

It won’t be easy. In fact, it will feel uncomfortable and even painful at first. But it’s possible. You can do it. We can do it. And we don’t have to do it alone. Together, we can bring back a richer, more authentic world.

Further information

What to do now?

See what’s next on the path

  1. From Ten Arguments for Deleting your Social Media Accounts Right Now, by Jaron Lanier: The prime directive to be engaging reinforces itself, and no one even notices that negative emotions are being amplified more than positive ones. Engagement is not meant to serve any particular purpose other than its own enhancement, and yet the result is an unnatural global amplification of the “easy” emotions, which happen to be the negative ones. ↩︎