I've been watching people do it all day. Open Instagram, check X, look at emails, browse TikToks, watch RedNotes. Close all. Repeat. Their thumbs move on autopilot, while their eyes get more tired with each loop. The diagram shows what's happening in their brains - a complex system of rewards that stopped working. But the simple truth is this: we're all stuck in a loop, chasing a feeling that isn't coming anytime soon.

We need to save this record because it shows the exact moment we trapped ourselves. The apps didn't break - we did. Our brains got stuck in an endless circle, desperately checking the same apps over and over, hoping the next refresh would finally make us feel something. But the more we checked, the less we felt, until we couldn't stop checking even though we knew nothing was there for us to see.