Introduction: Why “It’s Just the Internet” Doesn’t Work A message left on read. A critical comment. A number that went down. A post that landed in silence. I shouldn’t let this affect me this much. And yet it does. That…
Introduction: Before “I Did It Again” Five minutes late. That’s all it takes for the chest to tighten. A message left on read with no reply. That’s all it takes for the thought they must be avoiding me to start…
Introduction: Why Scrolling Makes You Feel Smaller You open your phone to unwind. A friend’s elaborate wedding. A colleague’s promotion announcement. A stranger’s flawless travel photos. The first response is something like admiration — and then, quietly, something else. Why…
Introduction: How We Learned to Live Next to Someone We Don’t Know When passing someone in the hallway of the same building, you look down at your phone. In an elevator with just one other person, your eyes go to…