I’ll argue that social media has been “dead” for quite some time. Unsurprisingly, the immediate thing people resort to when hearing such a definitive statement is the ubiquitous evidence that “proves” otherwise. However, such evidence remains entirely half-witted. Numbers are largely arranged to curate biased perceptions, and the math encircling social media stays superficial. It has to, because statistics are void of significant context. But this is aside from the elephant in the room: social media was never designed to be driven or valued by statistics, but by meaningful connections. Though social media has had an enormous cultural impact on society, its influence wasn’t the one we were all anticipating. Nor is it the one we need.

Let's focus on the abstract surrounding social media’s condition, why it endures, and how it has become a titanic degeneration of society — while breeding one of the greatest rackets in recent history…“Influencers.”

Authentic human connection relies entirely on the synergistic stimuli of our five senses. The most significant memories and emotions humans possess are deeply embedded with the convergence of smell, touch, taste, sound and sight.

Social media proudly advertises itself as an “experience,” per contra, it only activates two of the five senses (sight and sound) — both digitally and in limited fashion, mind you. What we hear and see from a screen are obviously not based on a genuine experience, rather, through “cybernated” exhibition. What’s fascinating is that with only two senses being partially utilized, the brain is brilliant enough to “recruit” the other senses in efforts to simulate an authentic experience for the viewer; It instantaneously acquires the most relevant sensory memory — appropriate to what is being seen and heard — and harmonizes them to fabricate a “reality.” This process isn’t restricted by our memory history either. Our minds can cleverly “fill-in” the lack of any genuine experience with an artificial one based on available collective knowledge. In fact, it’s almost necessary for the brain to do so; The human mind hates any kind of void in its processes when it comes to experiencing something. How does this relate to social media’s theory?

The paradox surrounding social media is that it’s entirely predicated on sharing human experiences, however, authenticity cannot be replicated digitally.

What keeps social media “alive and well”? In short, two things: Human’s instinctive compulsion for meaning and significance, and the exploitation of psychological vulnerabilities. Since the dawn of civilization, humans have been instinctively compelled to survive, create, communicate, socialize, and leave a legacy. I’m not going to journey down the philosophical theories why this is, but it is important to note that it’s exclusive to the human species.

Additionally, the tech companies behind social media intentionally design their platforms to hack brain functionality to induce hyper-addiction towards their product. The results are disingenuously described as “engagement.” Hundreds of millions of dollars are invested by Big Tech into hiring specialists who are referred to as “Attention Engineers.” These specialists work alongside Social Engineers to build applications highly effective at stimulating the mind expeditiously through micro-releases of dopamine. The goal is to manufacture a product that forms addicts; To create an experience users cannot function without.

Considering the cultural obsession many people have over their mobile devices and apps therein, it’s evident Big Tech are having great success. The science behind creating an addictive app is extraordinary. The reasons why social media users defend their use of it are even more. According to Retreat — a premiere addiction treatment center for those suffering from drug addictions — there are 10 lies addicts commonly tell themselves. For your convenience, I’ve swapped out any mentioned drug with social media:

I’m not addicted to social media.
I can quit social media anytime.
My social media use doesn’t impact anyone else.
I don’t use social media often.
I need social media. It helps me.
I’m not like other social media users.
I’m just enjoying life.
It’s not that serious. I can manage my use of it.
There’s no real alternative. Nothing can be done about it.
Leaving social media just isn’t practical for me.
(Bonus) Everyone’s doing it.

Notice the correlation between the excuses drug addicts use and those who frequent social media? They’re identical. This should be alarming, yet isn’t. The common denominator here is denial. And with billions of people in collective denial of their digital addiction, everyone simply concludes it’s a sign of a healthy meaningful product and experience — when in fact — it’s a disturbing whistle of widespread mental disorder(s). The only other universal delusion on this scale is found in religion.

Let’s circle back to the statistics used to campaign social media’s effectiveness and value. A question that must be asked is, what qualifies as engagement? Well, what’s the definition of the word? If you know, you’d also know that Big Tech companies swiped the term and redefined it because its original meaning isn’t applicable to any digital realm — let alone — behavior.

Since when has tapping a screen equate to engagement? The word is used because of its intimate connotation and association to marriage. The irony is that people are espoused to social media; They’ve become nearly inseparable.

Considering the time and energy people invest into their mobile devices, it’s hard to argue against the comparison between being engaged and being addicted. Nowadays, most users put more time and energy into their digital lives than any other area, including their relationships…leading to an enormity of dysfunctional relationships.

Nevertheless, “engagement numbers” are proclaimed as the most significant statistic among others when Big Tech, marketers, and enthusiasts tout social media’s value. Initially, this wasn’t the case. For many years, follower and subscriber numbers were preached as the top value. However, the business of acquiring followers and subscribers fraudulently swelled and inevitably became pronounced. Till this day you can still buy “likes,” “followers,” and “comments,” which are quickly and easily garnered by advanced scripts, AI bots, fake and shadow accounts. But it has gotten even worse. You can now purchase traffic to increase impressions (number of times your content is viewed on a user’s screen) and engagement (e.g., clicks, likes and shares).

Eventually, the term, “active user,” emerged. You see, Big Tech makes billions of dollars selling user data to advertisers and retailers globally, but clients weren’t getting desired returns on their investment (ROI) because the statistics they were sold on — what advertisers bought into surrounding the “active user” — weren’t real and didn’t translate into meaningful profits. Once again, the term was made-up and self-defined by Big Tech who have become notorious for covering up their schemes in efforts to inflate their value. No matter what terminology these companies conjure up, it all still remains artificial and empty of any actual meaning.

For an example, if I log into Twitter and then close the app a few seconds later — never logging back in for the rest of the month — I’m considered a “monthly active user.” If I’m on Instagram and double tap an image, it’s considered “engagement.” If I log into a random website with my Facebook credentials (not actually Facebook), I’m considered an “active user.” It’s blatant manipulation. There’s no accountability to these arbitrary phrases, slogans and definitions Big Tech uses either. They literally reinvent words and meanings, and everyone (including the government) go along with it without contest as long as profits grow.

Let’s say I’m selling T-shirts and looking for ways to effectively market them. Instagram will claim, “Use us! We have a billion monthly active users!” On the surface I’m led to believe I can quickly and easily reach a billion potential buyers. Unfortunately, I will not make notable sales because people don’t use Instagram to shop for clothes, they primarily shop at retail stores, or on Amazon, Etsy, Overstock, Poshmark, etc., you know, retail driven platforms that have guarantees and protection for buyers. Also, Instagram isn’t comprehensively designed for E-commerce or financial transactions.

Nevertheless, to push its shopping ruse, social media companies like Meta have figured out how to create a “shopping” avenue through their platforms for businesses. But with hundreds of thousands of unsolicited ads (many are fake or are scammers due to no regulation over who can sell) littering user’s feeds, and the disjointed non-assured experience of purchasing anything, it all just dupes' marketers into pumping more money into social media —only making Big Tech companies profitable, not them. Furthermore, many comments (if they’re not turned off) under merchant accounts and/or their ads are filled with complaints of customers who never received their product, spam, bad reviews regarding quality or poor customer service, and responses that redirects interested users to other similar products or services on other reliable and reputable platforms for less money.

Still, let’s say I use Instagram to sell my T-shirts anyway. At the very most, I might garner some likes, followers, maybe comments, but sales? Hardly, if any (Be wary of apologists who single out particular brands that have been “successful” using social media. This is another deception. There is a compound of intricate complexities that lead to profitability. A popular one: Already be an established celebrity or brand. Although social media is utilized to some degree, it’s just an add-on. Any success includes a great deal of other unseen factors). In the end, I’m left with a “failed” product, campaign and business in the face of Instagram’s sensationalism and growing profits wondering what happened? As a result, there’s been major pullback by genuine merchants who decidedly use social media only to bring awareness to their brands and use links (whether on posted images, videos, or on their profiles) to push customers onto their own websites. Even then, social media companies sneakingly construct their apps to open user’s browsers within the app, instead of switching entirely away from the app. While the tech companies argue this maneuver to be a “convenience,” it’s just another way for them to track and collect user data for additional profit (data is sold for targeted ads).

A larger question I want to draw attention to is, what maintains social media’s momentum despite its ineffective authenticity and rampant fraudulence? The answer is multi-tiered, but it can surmised as “fear of missing out” (FOMO). It’s a psychological tactic used to convince people that if they’re not using a particular service, platform or product, they’re severely missing out on something extraordinary in life that will leave them feeling incomplete, disconnected and unhappy. Social media has become a sweeping phenomenon due to this alone — while masking itself as a place to experience deeper and exciting connections. But it’s all constructed delusion rigged against you.

Will Instagram, TikTok, Snap or Twitter ever help you become successful or grant you fulfillment? No. They’ll only find new ways to convince you why you should use their platform. They’ll moralize that you can’t be successful or happy without them. It’s identical with social media addicts. They’ll tell you that you can’t enjoy life, or be connected or prosper without it. It’s a treacherous.

Social media isn’t life, nor indicative of reality. It’s an alternative universe, a matrix full of delusional portrayal, narcissism and shallow networking. Is it possible to become successful and make significant connections through social media? Not any more than a drug addict’s chance of attaining a long healthy meaningful life through the very drug(s) they’re addicted to.

Social media is detrimental distraction designed to feed its own diabolical purpose: To disconnect you from yourself for profitability. Big Tech has successfully repurposed humans and lessened them to become nothing more than fuel for endless cycles of “15 minutes.” To live and connect requires real-life interactions. Your identity cannot be digitized. Life isn’t a “cybernated” experienced. We’re more than the devices we use. Somehow though, we’ve convinced ourselves of the opposite, that without devices, apps and the Internet, we’re less.

Social media isn’t dead because people stopped using it. It’s dead because it’s become the world’s largest cemetery for those who have abandoned authentic living for a zombified existence.

The innocent facade of “connecting with the world” Big Tech loves to preach is just a smokescreen for their product’s smorgasbord of delusional syndromes. Fueled by narcissism, entitlement, grandiose delusions and toxic positivity, social media is a menacing concoction that threatens the health of natural cognitive activity. There are countless reputable articles across the web delving into the enormities of these mental disorders and their affects, but no one seems to be aware, or care. Stack this with the aforementioned addiction to social media and we’re in a pandemic more dangerous than Covid-19 ever hoped to be.

Humble-bragging, virtue signaling, and narcissism have become staples of social media. Above is an Instagram post by an “influencer” who is compelled to exhibit how “real” she is by showcasing her ass-sets and fashion while walking in the middle of a tornado torn town in Mayfield, Kentucky and acting empathetic.

One of the most projected delusions on social media is the ideology that everyone is deserving of wealth, fame and happiness (Toxic Positivity). Not only are these terms relative, the distortion of what “perfect” appearances and living are, has also permeated the core perception of reality, particularly in malleable minds. Social media advocates (influencers) possess an insatiable desire for constant attention and digital validation. Clout chasing has become unprecedented (an overwhelmingly percentage of them are females, arguably due to their biological drive to attract a “worthy” mate. Still, we must observe and question why it doesn’t end after they acquire one, also, why so many married women continue to post gratuitous images of themselves…never displaying their significant other or children). Obsession over “perfection” has led to an infinite number of manipulated images and videos riddled with filters, special effects, fancy lighting, excessive make-up, impractical fashion, dramatic poses, the list goes on. There’s a psychotic dichotomy between reality and the internet; those in matrix and those who aren’t.

Mental disorder(s); Depression, narcissism, addiction, anxiety, loneliness, suicide, sleep deprivation, victim mentality, delusion…are what drives the success and popularity of social media. Nothing else. The statistics all reflect this.

To solidify things further, Big Tech has built options for users to block or restrict anyone and everything they don’t like, want or agree with — in the name of “security,” mental health, and to “protect” user experience. No doubt this was due to the emergence of “Cyber Bullying” and “Hate Speech.” Bullying , once a term defined as physical intimidation, abuse, and harassment , has become equivalent to unfavorable online opinions and thoughts, recklessly. “Cyber bullying” isn’t traditional bullying because humans can’t push, hit, spit or yell in anyone’s face over a screen; It’s uniquely psychological sabotage. Still, when did humans become so mentally fragile, vulnerable, and threatened by puerile words from entities that don’t exist in the user’s real life?

“Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” has died. Psychological fortitude and evolution are decaying. The caveat is that people cannot evolve without conflict.

As for what “Hate Speech” actually is remains intentionally grey; its definition is now controlled by Big Tech. Opinions, thoughts, reactions, facts and expressions are just those, regardless if they’re undesirable. However, Big Tech tenaciously declares otherwise. If a person posts an image of themselves that someone doesn’t like, and it’s expressed, the OP (original poster) can claim “cyber bullying” or “hate speech” and delete the comment and/or report it. They can also report the commenter and block them. This alone has led to the utter destruction of diverse societal communion and has given birth to vicious tribalism…the building blocks for fascism. Big Tech wants sole authority over users’ experience while increasing addiction to their product no matter the aftereffect. Constitutional rights of language and free speech are now being threatened under a cloak of censorship and fake fact-checking.

Democracy is deteriorating because Big Tech is effectively killing what keeps it alive: Multiform morals and compelling divergence.

What do you estimate happens when hundreds of millions of people are focused on crafting digital lives while growing evermore detached from their real ones, where they only see and hear what they want? What happens to cognitive development and emotional intelligence when there’s never conflict, critical thinking, disagreements, proactive debates, opposition, only toxic positivity? You’re seeing it now with cancel culture, virtue signaling and mob mentality.

Censorship will always lead to violence. Taking away or obstructing people’s ability to express themselves, be heard and to communicate openly and freely is a ticking time-bomb for revolt.

None of this is to say that online abuse in the form of “bullying” and “hate speech” doesn’t exist whatsoever, it does. But they’re immensely exaggerated. Unlawful speech (speech not protected by the constitution) is difficult to find anywhere. This highlights that Big Tech’s antidote for something easily remedied through legitimate identity verification and tethered accountability is entirely absent. They don’t care, nor take action against the millions of people who make countless anonymous accounts, run endless scams, bots, phishing scams, etc. Social media giants, yet again, reveal they’re only concerned about growth, profit and control. In fact, they refuse to disclose how many fake accounts and hacks plague their platforms. They’ll often claim growth numbers (proudly) during quarterly reports for shareholders, but such reports include the aforementioned fraudulent accounts and activities.

Every once in a while, Big Tech will execute a purge of fake accounts on their platforms, but no one is certain how they’re identified and to what extent is it done. You might hear a news outlet announce how a celebrity lost millions of followers overnight, but not much from Big Tech’s sudden course of action or what led to it. Nonetheless, purging doesn’t stop scamming or fraudulence. It’s all just a cycle of rinse and repeat…and it’s an opaque one at that. Making new social media accounts remains quick and effortless.

Social media is entirely controlled by tech companies who have more money, power and influence than the US government. We should be terrified.

People have become too mesmerized with their digital lives to notice the catastrophic results of Big Tech’s unbridled actions. Their influence is far-reaching politically, financially and culturally. Are they too big to fail, or have we failed too big for redemption? How do we adjust or even progress shackled to its depravity and authoritarianism? By nearly every poll, survey, statistic and study ever conducted, social media has only proven to destroy lives, relationships, societies and governments — while becoming more wealthier and powerful than any previous institution in human history. Seriously, research it (Example).

None of this accounts for how these social platforms have devolved the communion and harmony of humanity. Big Tech manipulates what content gets amplified and suppressed; They broadcast and celebrate anything they want. More, in a game of political points, Big Tech leverages their products as weapons for constitutional changes that conveniently expand their power while lessening the power of individuals.

Big Tech determines what truth and free speech are. They’ve censored, banned, and cancelled doctors, best-selling authors, award-winning artists and the president of the United States. Yet no one is holding the CEO of these companies responsible or accountable for their actions and lies.

Social media has only accelerated the deterioration of democracy. Their public mission statements and visions are a farce: Big Tech wants all the power over language and information, and none of the accountability. We’re simply at the whims of their authority and agenda. This isn’t an exaggeration.

Claiming anyone is free to build their own platform, business or audience apart from Big Tech is also a disingenuous rebuttal towards resolution. Want to have your own app? Apple and Google can cancel it. Want to sell your own product? Shopify and Amazon can cancel them. Want to raise money? Patreon and Kickstarter can cancel transactions. Want to produce a movie or music? Spotify and NBC Universal can cancel them. Want to write articles or produce news? Yeah, even blogging platforms can cancel you anytime for any reason without a warning or explanation. When Big Tech owns the internet and the technology that powers it — and also makes all the rules — where do you think it all leads?

Big Tech continues to gaslight. They preach messages of equality, equity, opportunity, diversity and free expression while controlling what they are, how they manifest and who sees it.

Where do we go from here, in the condition we’re in? Are there any real solutions? Do people care enough? Will the US government eventually take action and hold Big Tech responsible and accountable? Will new laws be enacted to protect people or the impingement of constitutional freedoms? Will Big Tech justly lose their protection of section 230(c)(1)? How far will social media go to rule people’s lives? Will people become aware and begin resisting or deleting their accounts? Is it possible for a new wave of companies to emerge and create platforms of true neutrality, transparency and freedom?

With so many questions there are no foreseeable resolutions from where we stand currently. What happens next is anyone’s guess. It’s certainly not the Metaverse. But acknowledging where we are, and the realities of these incredible issues is not a bad start.

Written Arrangements

Anemic Delusional We