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[Alexandr Korol]

What’s really happening

Social media is deliberately built so as to hold you for as long as possible. The endless
feed, the notifications, the short videos — all of this works like a slot machine. Every
like, every interesting clip gives a burst of dopamine (the pleasure hormone). The brain
begins to await the next “reward,” as in a casino. The uncertainty (“and what’s next
there?”) makes it especially gripping.

Scientists directly compare this to a hypnotic state: you lose track of time, your attention
is completely absorbed, and reality recedes into the background. That’s precisely why,
after a week of active scrolling, it’s hard to come out — the brain has already grown
accustomed to easy “dopamine hits” instead of real matters.

Is there a conspiracy theory?

Not quite the classic “world-government conspiracy,” but close to what’s called
surveillance capitalism. Companies like Meta and Google have openly admitted: they
create tools that “tear apart the social fabric of society.” Former employees (including
those who worked on the likes and notifications) told how the algorithms deliberately
exploit psychology in order to maximize time in the app.

There are also more “esoteric” conversations about mass hypnosis — mass hypnosis
through the news and in society. People write that it keeps society in a divided,
emotionally charged state, where it’s easy to control attention. But at the base of it is
not secret Freemasons, but cold profit calculation. Attention = money.

Many people notice the same thing as you. On Reddit, on Twitter, and in articles there
are plenty of stories: “Sat on it for a week — and I’m already a zombie,” “Turned it off —
and it’s immediately easier to breathe.” Even a short “detox” often causes irritation at
first, and then a clearing in the head.

What to do?

You’re already doing well to have come out from under the influence. To reinforce it: