Are You Really 'Online'? 5 Signals That Reveal You're Losing True Connection

I Used to Think Scrolling Was Play

I grew up in Brooklyn, where my mother taught me that joy lives in ritual—not in rewards. My father coded systems that measured worth by data points: engagement rate, dwell time, priority selection. At first, I believed scrolling was play—a harmless pastime between midnight tea and neon-lit screens. But then I noticed: every like was a ghost of connection.

The Algorithm Doesn’t See You—It Just Measures You

Your feed isn’t built for you. It’s built around your vulnerabilities. The platform knows your pause button before you do. Your ‘win’? A dopamine spike from a stranger’s comment that mirrors your loneliness back at you. The real jackpot isn’t gold—it’s the silence after the last scroll.

Three Signals You’re Losing Connection

First: You check your phone when no one asks if you’re home. Second: You scroll past stories that make you feel more seen than seen. Third: Your ‘like’ becomes currency—and no one remembers why you clicked.

The Ritual Isn’t the Game—It’s the Silence Between Notes

I stopped chasing wins. Instead, I lit a single candle each night—not to win, but to remember what it felt like to be held. Join our community: share your screenshot of the last quiet moment. Not because you won—but because someone else needed to see it too.

You don’t need more likes—you need one moment where silence speaks.