On Social Media

These days, out of millions of apps that fill the internet, it is pretty safe to say that the majority of the world only spends their time on a select few of them. Considering that these apps have billions of consistent users daily, it is no surprise that they are designed to keep us watching. In fact, I believe that the majority of us know that these apps are meant to keep us addicted, and yet, we remain indifferent.

The average person spends 2 hours and 24 minutes on social media per day. (Social Media Statistics Details, 2023) That may or may not sound like a lot to you, but if you think about it, that's 15% of your waking hours sitting there, consuming media chosen for you by some algorithm.

The state of social media

A huge portion of the world spends their time on these platforms managed by billion dollar companies. However, more often than not, these companies don't have your best interests at heart. Like it or not, social media is an industry, and your engagement is the currency.

These companies want your time and attention, and they will do what it takes to get it, leading to the creation of these "algorithms", which take what you have interacted with previously, often alongside what other people in your demographic enjoy, and spit out what you are most likely to interact with next.

But, can't you just choose what to watch? Why do you have to follow whatever this machine tells you to? The truth is that that is becoming more and more difficult as these companies compete for your attention. Think back to the past versions of platforms like YouTube, for example. Oftentimes, to find something you would want to watch, you would have to look for it, seeking out the names of people whose content you enjoy, or searching for a specific topic you like.

Take a look at YouTube now. As soon as you open the app on your phone, there is a chance that it takes you right to the short form content page, a page completely isolated from the rest of the site. In fact, there isn't even a way to search anything while on this page! Sure, you can swipe out, but oftentimes, they have already gotten your attention.

But hey, at least you can still choose to watch the videos of the creators you enjoy, right? Wrong. Recently (announcement made 7th of May, 2026), certain A/B tests by Google have made it all the more difficult to access the subscriptions page . I truly believe that this will only continue as companies like YouTube and TikTok continue to compete for our attention.

What is the solution?

So, if we want freedom from these corporations, what can we do? Of course, there is the classic argument of just getting off your phone. This is a great solution, sure, but to me, there is one main point where it falls through. That is, people still crave connection.

Many cities have been virtually unwalkable for quite some time now, and public transportation, even in wealthy countries like America, remains underfunded and lacking in many ways, with large cities having deficits of up to hundreds of millions of dollars. This is a huge problem in its own right, but there is an additional piece to this: Why walk, when there is nowhere to go in the first place? "Third Spaces", or places where people can go to socialize in between school/work and heading home, such as movie theatres and arcades, are becoming less and less common. Teenagers are perceived as nuisances, resulting in the few that remain becoming more and more unwelcoming to people in that age group, regardless of the fact that many are respectful.

These factors drive people, especially younger people, inside, But they still want (and need) to have interactions with their peers. This is why social media is so popular among people in the 16-24 year old demographic, despite recent controversies about teens and whether or not they should be on these apps at all. There is no place for them to go otherwise.

I guess what I am saying is that, as I have continued doing my research for this blog post, I have realized that this is about more than just these social media corporations. Social media is not only addicting, but for many, it feels like the only option, and that freaking sucks. I don't really know if there is a solution that is feasibly in our control either. Maybe, we can keep searching for those third spaces, looking for places where we don't have to compromise our attention and even personal data for a place to feel connected. The question I really want to sign off with is: who's responsibility is it to find these solutions in the first place? Just something to make you think.