The Internet Messed Me Up (Here’s What No One Warns You About)
Dude.
I don’t even know where to start.
Actually—scratch that. Yeah I do.
It’s 2:41AM.
I’m on my third cup of chai. My Spotify’s playing sad girl music I won’t admit I like. I should be sleeping. But instead, I’m sitting here — eyes fried, phone screen too bright — thinking about how the internet slowly wrecked my brain… and nobody even noticed.
You too?
You ever wake up and immediately reach for your phone like it’s your inhaler?
You ever spend 6 hours online and feel like you accomplished absolutely nothing?
You ever feel like a hollow meat puppet just doomscrolling until your soul leaks out?
Yeah. Me too. Welcome to the dark side of the digital world.
Let’s talk about it. For real this time.
🧠 I Didn’t Notice It At First
It started innocent.
Just memes. Group chats. Little dopamine hits from likes and fire emojis.
Then it got weird. Creepy DMs. Ads that knew my menstrual cycle (wtf?).
Then it got dark.
I was comparing my life to influencers I’ve never met.
Feeling ugly. Unaccomplished. Behind.
Hating my own existence because I wasn’t traveling to Bali with a ring light and a six-pack.
And this wasn’t even the worst part.
👁 You Are the Product. You’ve Always Been the Product.
Look. I’m not gonna scream “THEY’RE WATCHING YOU” like your conspiracy theorist uncle, but… they literally are.
Every tap, pause, click, and swipe? Stored. Sold. Weaponized against you.
Ever talk about shampoo and get an ad 3 minutes later?
It’s not magic. It’s surveillance capitalism, baby. And we’re the meat.
I once downloaded a flashlight app (you know, for “flashlighting”) that needed access to my contacts, camera, and mic. I was like???
I just wanted to see my floor, not give away my soul.
🧠 My Brain? Mush. Just Absolute Mush.
So here’s the part that hurts:
I legit couldn’t focus on anything anymore.
Podcasts? Skipped halfway.
Books? Started 7, finished 0.
Videos? Watched on 2x speed while scrolling another app.
And you know what the internet calls this?
“Digital fatigue.”
Cute lil term. Makes it sound like you need a nap.
Nah bro. My attention span was gone.
Like trying to grab smoke with your bare hands.
And the worst part? I didn’t even notice until it was already too late.
💀 Cyberbullying Will Gut You Quietly
No one talks about this the way it deserves.
We think “cyberbullying” is a teenage problem.
Nah. Try being 24 and getting torn to shreds by anonymous keyboard warriors because you dared to have an opinion.
I posted a harmless reel once.
Some dude commented, “You look like a failed AI attempt.”
And the likes on his comment? Way more than the video itself.
I laughed it off. Then cried alone.
(And yes, both can be true at the same time.)
💀 You’re Scrolling Through a Lie. Every. Damn. Day.
Instagram is a lie.
Twitter is a lie.
Even LinkedIn is a lie — just fancier lies with blazers and buzzwords.
And we fall for it.
We compare ourselves to highlight reels.
We forget real life has bad breath, insecurity, and messy bedrooms.
Side note:
I once spent 45 minutes editing a story I deleted 12 seconds later because no one reacted.
WHAT THE HELL ARE WE DOING???
🕵️♀️ Your Privacy? LOL. What Privacy?
Let me tell you a story.
I shared a picture from my window once.
Random guy DMed: “Hey! I know that area. You live near [redacted] right?”
I froze.
He was right.
All from a damn building in the background.
That’s when I realized:
We bleed information online. Without even noticing.
We post our dog’s name (common password), our birthday (obvious), our location (dangerous), our routines (predictable)… and wonder how hackers get in?
☠️ Fake News Is Rotting Our Brains
You read one viral tweet. No source. No proof.
But it feels true. So you believe it. You share it. You become the lie.
I once believed a “breaking news” post that turned out to be from 2016.
Didn’t check. Didn’t question it. Just… reacted.
And that’s what the dark side wants:
Reaction > reflection.
Because the more emotional you are, the more you engage.
Okay So… Now What? Do We Just Delete the Internet?
No. Obviously not.
(Although I have fantasized about throwing my phone in a lake and becoming a forest goblin. Just sayin’.)
But here’s what I did do — and maybe, maybe it’ll help you too:
- Turned off notifications for everything except messages from humans I love.
- Deleted like… 20 apps. No regrets.
- Unfollowed people who made me feel like garbage.
- Started journaling. On paper. With pen. Like a caveman.
- Got a password manager. Changed every login. (Took 3 hours. Worth it.)
Ending? Nah. Just a Pause.
This post doesn’t end with a neat bow.
I’m still online. Still battling screen addiction. Still randomly crying at midnight while trying to “just check one thing.”
But I’m aware now.
And awareness? That’s the start.
If you’ve felt even a tiny sliver of this post in your gut —
if your soul nodded somewhere between “doomscroll” and “digital mush” —
then maybe we’re not alone in this mess.
Anyway. My chai’s cold. My screen time is embarrassing.
I need sleep. You probably do too.
Go touch some grass. Or your cat. Or your mom’s forehead.
Just… be a little more alive today.
Not just online. Alive for real.
P.S. If you read this far, I love you.
Okay okay — side note real quick, and this one’s important as hell:
If — god forbid — one day your photo leaks online, or worse, it’s some deepfake nonsense that’s going viral and making your stomach drop every time you open your phone… listen up.
There’s actually a real platform, made by like all the big social media companies together (yeah, they actually teamed up for once) — where you can report this stuff.
You upload the image, prove it’s really you (they take it seriously), and once it’s confirmed?
Boom. That photo or video gets pulled down from every major social platform.
It’s called: Take It Down Stop NCII
Run by NCMEC (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children — sounds heavy, but trust me, they handle this stuff with care.)
So yeah. Bookmark that. Tattoo it in your brain.
If it ever happens to you or someone you love — you’re not helpless.
The internet’s scary, but you’re not alone in the fight.
We do have some tools. Use them.
and Also one more thing If you have any kind of problem so feel free to comment down below or contact us .
Stay Real, Stay Safe 💕
