Chronically online—a virtual disease

Chronically online: a term the internet has coined to describe users who consume media content so excessively that they become out of touch with reality. Such individuals often have trouble developing genuine, real-life connections and struggle with engaging in healthy conversations about politics and social justice due to a significant lack of worldly experience. 

I would, thus,  like to open this piece with two actual tweets I encountered:

“being grossed out by another persons energy and mentality is such a real thing” (@multiverse333)

“making irl [in real life] mutuals at college yall this shit is crazy…” (@marma2ade)

Above are prime examples of “chronic” online-ness that demonstrate a complete distortion of reality stemming from excessive social media use. They have re-translated the very basic and normal experiences of disliking people and making friends to “being grossed out by energy and mentality” and “making IRL mutuals.” We’ve become so desensitised to the human experience that, in the same way the virtual space may seem foreign to our parents, the real world is slowly becoming alien to ‘chronically online’ individuals.

To begin, I find that our overconsumption of content from people’s daily lives is reducing the human experience to aesthetics. To illustrate my point, I will refer to a TikTok I came across of a content creator highlighting her “clean aesthetic routine.” It essentially consisted of exfoliating, brushing her teeth, combing her hair, and going through a skincare routine. Cleanliness has been transformed from a basic habit to an aesthetic that a particular group of people live to abide by. Many people have become so absorbed by social media that they have redesigned their lives to fit within a romanticised lens that social media recognises as an “aesthetic.” Reading books on the subway, taking class notes, cooking meals and many such regular experiences have been plastered onto social media as an “aesthetic,” demonstrating a growing disconnect from the real world.

On another note, I would like to touch on our overexposure to “conventionally attractive” or “social media-presenting” faces and experiences on such platforms and how this overexposure can affect our reaction to people we encounter in real life. Social media is so oversaturated with conventionally “presentable” persons and livelihoods (often inaccessible to most people, as they are lived by upper-class individuals) that it can become anxiety-inducing and often despairing for content consumers living a completely different reality. We often hear people wondering why certain experiences they are exposed to online are not happening to them. While it’s not the first time that the issue of upwards comparison has been highlighted, it has definitely gotten a lot worse over the past few years. The content we consume is fed by a positive feedback loop by the algorithm, so, this constant exposure to the realities we aspire to live in can feel very belittling and hopeless. In addition, people will often jokingly admit that they are only able to find people attractive online, unaware that it is a symptom of a much deeper issue related to how numbing the virtual world can be. Our new standard for relationships (be it romantic or platonic) is set by snippets of “perfection” we view online, and it often creates a gap between people wherein they feel unable to connect to human beings that don’t match the personas they see online. 

Lastly, the lack of accountability and ease of expression on social media has led to an inability to engage in healthy conversations about politics and social justice. The transient nature of the content we post online, as well as the ability to remain anonymous in the virtual space has made it incredibly easy for users to post about their thoughts and ideas—however inflammatory, underdeveloped, or uninformed they may be—with no intention of participating in active discourse about it. They often can dish it out and not take it in, and this trend has created an extremely hostile space in which people are unable to come together and listen to each other. Social media platforms have become so polarising that active communication and healthy political debate is often replaced with hostility and animosity. When creators are met with disagreement, it’s so easy for them to ignore the situation by just deleting their videos and starting afresh. Social media makes it so simple to remove oneself from an unpleasant situation and assume no accountability, that when such exchanges are moved to real-life, the lack of experience with healthy conversations leads to an inability to debate and be open to listening and educating oneself. It’s overwhelming and desensitising, and while social media is normally a great tool for spreading awareness on social justice matters and highlighting important societal issues, it has also created a space where hostility and lack of accountability prevent healthy discourse from taking place. 

My point is, we need to be cognisant of how we perceive and process the content we consume on social media and effectively recognise the distinction between real life and online spaces. The term “chronically online” is being increasingly used to describe those who are unable to do so, but it’s more than just that—it is an indication of a growing disconnect to the real world due to our thought processes being so easily shaped by what we consume online. It has also been studied that excessive social media use is a leading cause of mental health issues worldwide, including anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, and others. This crisis is in dire need of being addressed. 

Ultimately, my call to action is not to boycott social media—I do acknowledge the crucial role it plays in our connection to, and understanding of, the world. All I encourage is that we re-evaluate and reflect on our relationship with it and work on finding the balance between its virtue and its venom.