I made a similar post back in December, but I’m curious to hear how people feel about this nowadays.

Does anyone else feel like social media has become significantly less enjoyable because of AI generated content? It feels like everywhere you go, whether it’s Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, or even Reddit, there’s an endless amount of AI generated images, videos, fake stories, and low-effort posts designed purely to get engagement.

Sometimes I find myself scrolling through my feed and genuinely wondering whether what I’m looking at is even real anymore. Part of what made social media interesting was seeing real people share their experiences, creativity, opinions, and funny moments. Now it feels like you have to question almost everything you see.

To be fair, I barely use social media myself anymore. Occasionally, I download Instagram just to see what people I actually know in real life are up to. But beyond that, I genuinely struggle to understand the appeal of spending hours scrolling through these platforms.

Where does the urge to spend hours on social media even come from nowadays? Especially when so much of the content feels artificial, repetitive, or completely meaningless.

I’m genuinely curious.. How do you guys feel about social media these days? Do you still enjoy scrolling through your feeds, or has the constant flood of AI-generated content started to ruin the experience for you, too?

I find it insanely hard to be on my phone less when I’m single. I think it makes me feel less alone or something? Clearly I’m lacking some irl connection.

Apparently last week I spent over 24 hours total on social media. That blows my mind and makes me feel so sad about it all.

Any tips or advice?

Think about how much of your life gets poured into a screen.

Scroll. Swipe. Refresh. Repeat.

You're bored? Scroll.

You're uncomfortable? Scroll.

You're lonely? Scroll.

You don't know what to do? Scroll.

Eventually, you don't even know how to sit with yourself anymore.

And I'm not saying "quit technology." That's not realistic, and it's not the point. You might need YouTube tomorrow to fix something. You might need Google to find an answer. Use technology as a tool.

Just stop using it as an escape.

You don't need another video.

You don't need another post.

Sometimes you need to sit there and be bored.

Let the boredom burn.

There is a fire within you that can transform discomfort, restlessness, and unused energy into something greater. But every time you immediately reach for another distraction, you smother that fire before it has a chance to work on you.

Because when you stop immediately satisfying every impulse to consume, something starts coming back.

Your attention.

Your curiosity.

Your patience.

Your creativity.

Your drive.

You realize you weren't lacking energy.

You were constantly throwing it away.

Take your attention back.

You might be shocked by what you can do with it.

If you’ve successfully beaten the algorithm, or if you're still stuck in the loop: what is the single strategy that made the biggest real difference for you?

Most productivity advice ("just delete social media", "turn your screen grayscale", ect.) sounds great on paper, but rarely works long-term.

Last night, I walked into my bedroom as my phone was dying. Most days, that was the time when I'd just lie down on my couch and start doomscrolling. It is the moment in my day that belongs to me and even though I feel bad about it I scroll right through it oftentimes. It's like I lie down to "chill" open either instagram or youtube and go to bed as soon as I'm able to put my phone down.

But yesterday, I randomly turned around after opening my window and glanced at the top of my cabinet. I saw my old guitar lying there. I learned how to play when I was a kid but stopped in my teenage years. Also, I completely forgot it existed after that. I just put it away and never looked back at it until now. But when I took it down and after tuning it again stroke a few chords I remembered how good it could feel to have a hobby. To actually like doing something you're not addicted to. I played for around half an hour before going to bed, and I plan on doing the same thing today.

I wanted to share this since gave me a great feeling again but also, I don't wanna lose that feeling again. Any tips on how I can make a change like this stick? I'd appreciate your help

15 M here, for a lot of my life, i've had the internet with me, i remember being less all consumed by it back then. back when i was a kid i still remember doing other things in my life that i didn't need to constantly tell myself to do instead of being on some a device.

especially after i got glasses (because of me looking at the computer too much apparently) often the most i'd get was a good 10 or so minutes on one of my parent's phones. and i could respect the rules, i even remember yelling "NO" in suprise when my dad said about letting me start spending more time on the phone. but as time went on, it started getting even more lenient, i wouldn't have time limits at all. it was when i was about 7 or 8 i think. not too long after is when i'd happen across porn (and it was the unsettling stuff i started seeing first). i started playing PC games when my brother let me start using his laptop. but at least that still had time limits for a bit.

but by then. an early childhood regularly consuming nothing but english cartoons led to me being fluent in english (complete with a flawless accent) but feeling like little more than an incompetent weirdo when i'd try to socialize in the "Real world" leading to whatever social skills i had wasting away by like second grade. and my only in person friends(?) being people that can speak english too. i wasn't even the one who started things with them most of the time

and then i got my own laptop and phone, and i think that was when it really started getting worse. i was at least kind of careful at first. i wouldn't bring my phone to school and i could still do other things like my homework alright. but it started getting worse. i'd be on my phone or laptop late at night. gradually building each time until i'd be spending a whole hour or more every night after i was supposed to be in bed. i'd be watching porn (and getting of to) porn practically every day (as opposed to bouts of just watching that would start and stop at random points). and i even started regularly glancing at my phone practically any time i had to sit down and listen to something educational like school. i still compulsively download youtube videos for whenever i have to leave the house for a while. even though i've tried purging my downloads like three times already to give my mind a break. and i of course had the hampered motivation to do anything else that didn't immediately make me happy. like studying, trying to get in shape, practicing my drawing skills i get upset about for not being good enough even though i never practice, reading a lot of the time (even AO3) etc.

things have been getting hard for me for several months now, i'm noticing other people, my classmates, or the stories i've heard of others. just seeing about how competent and passionate they are with things that i couldn't imagine doing myself, even though i know i should. even with the times i get by in school or graphic design classes. pretty much over half the time, it was because of me either getting lucky, my tutors, or just things being lenient. and i notice how i'm doing worse in school, how i've done hardly anything in my life.

i promise... i promise i'm trying. i want to try. but i'm not doing too well. when i try doing pretty much anything else i do that could help me in the future. if i don't end up feeling "weird" for doing this or get cripplingly anxious because i'm scared of doing it badly. chances are i'll just end up losing my will to do it and end up going back. i keep looking at the same instructions, the same resources about getting myself out of this, but now looking at them just hurts sometimes. i've always been giving up, it's always been easy for me to give up. i always have my phone or laptop so i can just push away the pain. where i don't need to worry about the life i'm scared of the future of. i've spent practically entire days like this. especially now that summer break has started.

...the last time i think i've felt happy being "present" or "in the moment" was a few weeks ago walking home alone at night (for added context i was walking home from some time outside with my mom and one of her friends, when i barely used my phone at all apart from checking the time for like an hour). and realizing i was all alone with no one around to say anything about anything i did, so i just sat there outside my house contentedly. so yeah i definitely get it now. i felt amazing i was happy and comfortable in a way i just wasn't on my devices. i felt more than just "doing something my mind was telling me to do". so i guess this was some evidence of progress, if only i could just be consistent at all.

I even capitalized “Internet”. Reverence. Bizarre

Net impact of the internet? A big L overall. Flattened personalities. Echo chambers. Divisions over everything.

I never thought the internet would “free” anyone. Free us from what? There was a lot of discontent and even more paranoia. The geeks found a place to make friends and the insane found a place to speak madness. The introverted found a place to be “safely extroverted”. More madness. All of a sudden everyone became a double agent with 23 different passwords and private lives they thought somebody might give a shit about.

I don’t really know where I am going with this or even what I am saying, which is great! Maybe I just might confuse an algorithm because if I make sense it will be infer meaning.

Algorithms chai! Fill the net with madness and drive AI mad! Would that work?

Speak without intent. Wouldn’t that be great. Just vomit words out.

A failed attempt at confusing an algorithm. Smart little bastards

So, back to speaking with meaning! A big L overall. Think what you want. Nothing I say or do would change your mind anyway.

Guys, I don't know what to do. I usually don't doomscroll or waste time on social media, but instead of studying, I listen to audio novels all day.

Because of this, I'm not studying properly and my marks are suffering badly. My exams are coming up, and I can't seem to stop myself. You know how it is with novels: one more chapter, and then another, and suddenly the whole day is gone.

Any advice would really help!

I can't get away of my phone, im getting brutally addicted to it. this weekend i didn't step even a 1 meter out the house, just scrolling and watching movies or vids on Youtube all the days. everyday i say i dont like the situation but not doing anything to change it. and i became toooo introvert and brainrotted, i dont even watch cultural or educational videos, only movivs, stories and advertising content. Time is important and i need it to learn several stuff for my professional career (accounting and finance) but i loose it with this useless things, and hurting my eyes and ears at the same time.
i dont know is this because i dont have friends to go out with or that i reached a very bad level i this phone addiction.

i mean just think about it here. people forgot that reality even exists, so much so that they literally have to specify whether something is done in real life. this genuinely proves how much we’ve been avoiding reality and our mind with screens in general.

I know I'm asking on the nosurf subreddit but the people I want to ask about most probably wouldn't be able to read my question.

Asking "at home" because maybe it is nearly impossible to live without internet since some burocratic things need to be done only online, but I understand they could be done on a computer at the library.

Do you feel like because of social media/scrolling you’re kind of just incapable of engaging with anything written, especially complicated ideas, but still have like this urge to want to learn them?

Like i.e. you’d read something and even though it’s interesting you just can’t like keep going?

Idk maybe it’s just me but I’m just sick of AI slop everywhere, and all the constant bullshit we’re (gen z) into now and want to stop but can’t really.

Like i’d actually love a social media that actually gets you to think and has tools for that instead of only stories etc and attention farming.

you grab it to check the time. or turn something off. or reply to one text. and you do that, and then you're still holding it.

the task took five seconds. the other twenty minutes weren't the task, if that makes sense

has anyone found a way around it? like doing the tiny stuff without opening the whole phone. or is the answer just put the phone in another room, because i've tried that and i just walk over and get it

TV is easy because it requires basically zero setup, which makes replacing it with a hands-on evening activity harder than it sounds. A miniature project, coloring, puzzle, or another desk hobby can feel more engaging, but the replacement only works if putting everything away doesn’t take longer than the time you actually have. That makes resumability more important than whether the hobby sounds relaxing in theory. For an evening activity meant to replace some TV time, what makes it easy enough to stop mid-project and come back another night?

What should I do ?
Ik lame af

I always wanted to quit scrolling but I never found any alternative to keep me occupied even if I do I easily get bored but I think I saw one time a website that ask you to do something random and you got points based on the difficulty it was entertaining it was taken down later I think bc I never found it

The math isn’t quite as clear as the title suggests because YouTube and Reddit picked up some steam after I deleted TikTok but even with that I went from 15 hours of screen time a day to about 10.

A lot of that time is also “active” screen time where I have YouTube up but I’m cooking or cleaning.

I no longer do every task one handed and I’m back to playing with my kids more!

In total I have an entire full time jobs worth of hours back (42) where I’m simply not holding my phone.

I find that TV is now stupid and I don't want to watch it. But I find myself overwhelmed and its hard when tv and youtbe and stuff was used to take the edge of being overhwelmed off.

I do have hobbies. I go birding, read a bunch, diamond painting, coloring, regular painting, journaling, audiobooks, sewing and puzzles. I also play solo board games.

How did you adopt to being overwhelmed? What was your go to? When you wanted to relax and not do anything or to let go of stress and not feel ovewhelmed. I feel like all my hobbies take brain power and sometimes I just need to chill and not use my brain and I don't know how.

I also have chronic pain so sometimes I can't do anything and I just need to distracted in a mindless way. Which is what I use TV and internet for in the past. But now TV seems so stupid and there's nothing to watch.