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Ana Marie Cox
@anamariecox.com

I know folks love to pile on Taylor but she has a point that not all social media use is an addiction. A lot of things can be *addicting* but you’re not an addict because you indulge in them. For instance my BlueSky use is completely normal don’t look at the callouses on my thumbs I am fine.

Guardian US@us.theguardian.com

Can social media be addictive? @taylorlorenz.bsky.social says no. “You wanting to communicate and chat with your friends every day is not an addiction,” says Lorenz. “And to frame it that way is incredibly harmful and anti-science.”

Ana Marie Cox
@anamariecox.com

According to researchers, music is potentially addictive for all the reasons anything dopamine-producing is, whether that's eating, shopping, sex, or, yes, scrolling. My hunch is that true music addiction (compulsive in a way enjoying music isn't) is *rare,* it's not debate-ender it sounds like.

1 repost27 likes

Naomi Kritzer
@naomikritzer.bsky.social

I'm not sure how you'd even get to a place where your compulsive music use exited the realm of social acceptability, and started harming you. It's kind of like how no one worries all that much about caffeine addiction.

Ana Marie Cox
@anamariecox.com

I don't think the problem is "social acceptability," it's when an activity/behavior becomes self-harming, even in ways people might not see from the outside.

Craig
@thelordgod.bsky.social

Where Taylor's nonsense falls apart is the whole "talking to your friends" angle. social media isn't talking to your friends - that's called texting.