Ever had that feeling? You’re scrolling, liking, commenting on posts, deeply invested in people you don’t know and probably never will. Meanwhile, those who are actually part of your real life—your siblings, friends, cousins—seem to barely get a hello. You see them online or even in person, and… you scroll right past. Sound familiar?

This isn’t just coincidence; it’s actually a product of the online habits the algorithm encourages us to build. Slowly, we’re becoming modern-day “monitoring spirits”—not in the supernatural sense, but in the way we observe, consume, and even obsess over the lives of people far removed from our daily reality while our true connections gather dust.

The Digital Disconnect

Let’s break this down. You wake up in a house full of family, walk past them in the hallway, and barely say a word. You go outside, walk past neighbors you’ve known for years without so much as a nod. But then, as soon as you scroll through your social media feed, you’re fully engaged with people you’ve never met, hyping their pictures, commenting on their lives. It’s like the algorithm has us in a trance, prioritizing virtual interactions with strangers over real-life relationships.

Social media was supposed to bring us closer, right? But if we’re not careful, it can actually pull us apart, creating a reality where we are more in touch with strangers’ curated lives than with our real, unscripted ones. Instead of building a community, we’re fostering an endless cycle of superficial connections. It’s as if we’re creating a network of spectators rather than real friends.

The strange part? This “community” doesn’t know us, and we don’t really know them. We’re engaging with each other’s lives on the surface while the actual people in our lives become background noise.

So, let me ask: What small changes do you think could help us become more present with those around us? How can we start using social media to deepen our relationships rather than just observing from a distance? Share your thoughts in the comments—I’d love to hear what you think.