Applying the CUE test to social media

Whether it’s CUE or CUEE, the important part is thinking about your social media use, how it makes you feel (both in the moment and afterwards), what needs or desires it’s filling in your life, and what it might be taking away from you (or taking you away from). And then, hopefully, taking steps so that social media sparks joy instead of inciting dread or dispensing numbness.

This post shares a fascinating framework for deciding whether social media is working well in your life or causing harm.

Figure out if it’s enriching your life through connection and entertainment (games are good afterall), or whether it’s causing mental harm through doomscrolling.

All that said I’m just not sure if I can have a healthy relationship with social media. I tried for years. I’m sure I’ll try diving back in at some point, but right now I’m sitting on three months almost entirely absent from it—and I’m so happy.

When friends share links to something on Instagram I’ll open the video in a browser and watch what they share, but the experience is jarring. It’s built to pull you in and increase engagement at all costs. From the short cuts to the emotion pulling music to the emojis to the titles telling me what to think about the video—all of it is designed to pull my attention in a second and hold me until I’m bored three seconds later and ready for the next delivery of dopamine straight into my veins.

Do I still love information? Absolutely. I love learning new things, I’m an infinite sponge always ready for more data. But getting just the highlights is like a lifetime of watching trailers. Sure they’re fun. But wouldn’t you rather spend hours on a great season of television that pays off in a finale that actually moves you and impacts your life? Give me more Shrinking and less of that short-form video crap.

Via Kottke.