I’ll admit it, I spend too much time online.
My screen time stats could win awards (and not the good kind), Like most of us, I’ve fallen into doom scrolling way too many times, starting with one TikTok, then another, then somehow it’s 2 am.
But here’s the thing, living online so much has actually taught me a lot about myself, the internet, and what it does to our minds.
Spending hours scrolling feels like looking into a digital mirror. You start to notice patterns, who you follow, what content sticks, what triggers you.
But it also highlighted insecurities.
Spending a lot of time online makes you hyper-aware of your “personal brand,” even if you don’t mean to have one.
I started catching myself thinking, “This would be good for instagram” before even doing something.
It’s a reminder that being online isn’t just entertainment, it actively reshapes the way we think about ourselves and our lives.
Constantly seeing other people’s achievements can make you feel like you’re falling behind, even when you’re not.
Too much time online shows you yourself but, it exaggerates the bits you’re most critical of.
Being online too much also means living in a constant cycle of trends.
A new aesthetic, a new “must-watch” series, a new productivity hack, all dropping every five seconds.
And if you miss one, you feel behind.
But in the perspective of someone who is trying to get user attentions towards her work and her posts, one thing I’ve learned is that it’s impossible to keep up.
The internet moves too fast to “win” at it.
The pressure isn’t about missing trends, it’s about learning to let them go.
I scroll and see other creators sharing their journey and how far they’ve come and I just think about how one day I hope to be where they are.
But then I remember I need to appreciate the days I’m in now, one follow and two likes on a post may just be my boyfriend and my sister but when I’m getting more than that, its their support that has been there from the beginning.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s easy to drag the internet, but honestly? I’ve also learned so much from being online.
I’ve found new writers, creative inspiration, and a sense of community with people I’d never meet otherwise.
From celebrity fandoms to the comments on a funny video all agreeing we’re peeing our pants laughing.
Being online too much has taught me that it’s not about logging off completely, but about setting boundaries that keep the good parts without letting the bad parts take over.
Too much time online has left me tired, overstimulated, and occasionally falling into rabbit holes I had no business exploring.
But it’s also made me more self-aware.
I’ve learned what to avoid, what to embrace, and when to just put the phone down and go outside.
Because at the end of the day, the internet isn’t going anywhere.
The challenge isn’t quitting it, it’s learning how to live with it without losing yourself in the feed.
