why is posting on social media exhausting? - by Valerie

Snap, edit, publish, rinse, repeat. The feelings I get from sending my content into the digiverse void are a mixed bag – a quick dopamine rush followed by an inevitable crash, typically varying in intensity based on how much engagement I’ll get in the first hour. A friend of mine confesses, “I have to physically put my phone down as soon as I hit post – otherwise I just can’t, I feel so gross.” We both laugh at the absurdity of what the process of posting has come to. Wasn’t this whole thing supposed to be fun? Even if we admit we probably shouldn’t worry about something so trivial and banal, we’re comforted by the fact we collectively – albeit secretly – still do. Avoiding social media in 2024 is no different from avoiding corporate drinks. Sure, you can detox all you want and virtue signal your way out of it. Where does that get you? If you abstain, you’re willingly saying goodbye to unspoken prospects: new opportunities, inside jokes, and climbing up the career ladder. Why would you

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• Kun Zhu