The Cursed Amulet

21 April 2026

Nothing makes me feel like my phone is a cursed amulet more than doom scrolling on Instagram or Tik Tok. When I'm finally able to escape from it, I always feel guilty and tired. The escape is not usually from my own willpower, either. It's like a mental quicksand. I saw a creator online describe trying to fight phone addiction while balancing the ways a phone is required for every day life with an alcoholic analogy: imagine you were an alcoholic, and every time you wanted to take a picture, you had to open a beer. While the metaphor is extreme, it resonated with me in the way that I feel like it is difficult to make choices that allow me to reduce my phone and social media use.

I would like to strike the balance of disconnecting from the hyperconsumerist and hyper-attention-monopolizing sphere of social media and still get the positives out of it. Because unfortunately, the cursed amulet has some benefits! There are genuine mid-scroll inspirations and learning, an increased awareness of events in my local area, and the normal social connection that comes from the original function of the platform.

I do gel manicures for myself. I like the small format and the opportunity for regular creative expression. I prefer detailed sets with multiple elements, so it is not financially feasible to get them done by a licensed nail tech in the way that I want them. When it is time for a new set, it look on social media for inspiration, and often find a great deal of it. I follow nail artists to see new trends to give myself ideas for the future, and do searches for nail art to look for extras.

Often, looking for one exact thing or checking my DMs on social media usually leads to a great deal of doom scrolling. I get locked into a trance and have difficulty exiting. Thankfully, my algorithm is only 98% advertising and unhelpful forgettable entertainment. Nuggets exist in the sediment of the social media river bank that are worth keeping. I will see a movie or book compilation that leads to me adding something to my watch/read list, or an educational page will make a post that teaches me something I didn't know before. Sometimes an artist I follow will post art from a new-to-me artist on their story, and I will learn about a new artist to follow, check out their work, and maybe their store. Other platforms do not have the same reliability in creators sharing their work there, there is less buy-in from the general populace.

Advertisements, infrequently, can also bring me a piece of gold. As predatory as location data mining can be, I have learned so much more about events occurring in my area due to localized ads than from anything else. Dispersion of information is extremely difficult without social media. I've been to a number of interesting events, from a local film festival, to a chocolate tasting market, to local sports, to a How to Train Your Dragon orchestral concert. The latter was on my bucket list, I cried my eyes out, and I wouldn't have known it was happening without social media. While most advertisement is just drop-shipped cheaply made goods, or "free"-to-play games like idlers or gachas, some advertisements from social media have allowed me to engage more with the community and learn about other opportunities.

As an introvert, one of my catch phrases is, "I wish fewer people cared about me". A horrible thing to say, I know. Lobster too buttery, steak too juicy, etc. But sometimes, my friends and family are asking for updates on my life when I am so burnt out that I can't stomach another conversation that feels like a job interview. I wish sometimes I could send a monthly newsletter to interested parties, to only have to explain myself once and get people off my case. And I wish my friends and family would do the same, so I can keep up with their lives (that I am truly interested in!) without having to spend social battery I do not have. The issue being that social media achieves this already if you can avoid doom scrolling, I just struggle to avoid it.

I bought myself a Brick which, while expensive, has been monumentally helpful to me in breaking the cycle of reopening distracting apps. My mental health improves when I lock myself out of social media apps! I think so often of deleting social media and using the time I waste doom scrolling to make efforts to replicate the positives. Social media, for better or worse, has woven its way into the fabric of modern life. It feels mostly bad to me, but there are a lot of goods to it and it can be leveraged well for those who understand it as a tool. This means I'm not sure that I'll be able to delete my accounts, but I will certainly be continuing to utilize my Brick to help prevent the worst of the doom scrolling, and free up some time to pursue real life interaction and inspiration.