Digital technology did not directly “destroy society” and lead to loneliness—it just swept in on the heels of a slow social collapse, and made loneliness much more addictive

A functional society wouldn’t have allowed this to happen like it did

It sounds weird, but: tech is so addictive partly bc for decades, the real world has no longer responded to people. It’s no longer interactive.

Mass atomization turns people’s lives into a silent movie without a plot. In this sense, digital literally was introduced in a vacuum

Ofc nothing compares to the raw dopamine hit of the TL. But we’re not powerless—think how easy it is to log off if you’re with a group of friends

This is why talk of “breaking up big tech” often rings hollow, bc it skirts the fundamental question of social integration

notice how the boomers who circa 2013 posted all the “father, I cannot click the book” memes have been awful quiet lately? it’s bc they’re now being tossed around like ragdolls in the psychic washing machine of Facebook news

the only way out is society