I have... so many questions. Not the least of which is, why? I gave TikTok maybe 10 minutes of my time, once a year just to see what others are seeing. And each time, it was always meaningless junk. I'd uninstall the app after; it does nothing for me. Why did it captivate you?

I’m similar. I’ve installed the TikTok app a half a dozen times and it just doesn’t click for me.

YouTube I enjoy more, but I still don’t spend much time on it. I mostly go on there looking for something in particular and don’t spend much time scrolling. Their recommendations are terrible and creators chasing the algorithm is making every interesting corner round.

Instagram I like. I love to see updates from friends and family but that runs out quickly so I don’t end up spending much time there.

Facebook is good for their marketplace when I’m looking to buy something or give something away.

Mastodon is boring, X is offensive, posts on BlueSky and Threads feel fake and performative. LinkedIn is full of journeys and learnings and I’m not interested in either.

HN is the only social media site I visit with any kind of frequency.

Why does one person become addicted to gambling while another can visit a casino, try it once and then just walk away?

Not 12-14 hours but the novelty-seeking of new stories and discussion topics is a compelling escape (especially since it'll just be "a few minutes" I think to myself) and then I end up getting drawn into conversations and seeing new thread responses I should respond to, both of which may result in going down additional rabbit holes in order to back up the response...

Oh shoot, we were talking about TikTok right?