MSG for the Soul: The Empty Calories of Social Media

I recently watched The Social Dilemma, and an old remembering rose from the depths of me — one I’ve known but had somehow let slip from the forefront of my awareness:

Social media is MSG for connection.

It mimics the taste of real nourishment. It lights up our systems, spikes our dopamine, and gives the illusion of connection. But like eating a bag of chips loaded with monosodium glutamate, we’re left empty. Hungrier. Craving more. Because it never delivers what we truly need.

As human beings, we hunger for connection — real, meaningful, mutual connection. To be seen, felt, held, to laugh in the presence of another’s eyes, to be witnessed in our fullness and our mess.

Social media offers the appearance of that without the substance. And that’s the danger. It’s the hologram of belonging — addictive and hollow.

The Addictive Machine in Your Pocket

We carry it everywhere. We check it before we get out of bed. We scroll when we’re anxious, bored, lonely, or just trying to avoid being with ourselves.

Phone addiction — and specifically, social media addiction — is not just a personal issue. It’s an epidemic. And it’s not an accident. These platforms are designed by some of the most brilliant minds in neuroscience and behavioral psychology to hijack the very systems in our brains meant to protect and connect us.

• Dopamine loops are exploited through likes, comments, and endless scrolls — intermittent rewards that keep us hooked.

• Variable reinforcement keeps us coming back: you never know what post, message, or notification might make you feel seen.

• Social comparison exploits our need for significance, creating internal wars of inadequacy.

• Fear of missing out keeps us checking, even when we’re not enjoying what we’re seeing.

These mechanisms aren’t flaws — they’re features. Built in to keep you consuming. Every second of your attention is monetized. Every moment you’re there, you’re not here. With your child. Your partner. Yourself. Your own breath.

Polarized, Not United

We were promised a more connected world.

But look around.

Discourse is more divided than ever. Families have fractured over newsfeeds. Entire generations are being raised to measure their worth by the number of hearts and followers they receive.

Algorithms don’t unite — they amplify bias. They keep you in echo chambers because truth doesn’t sell nearly as well as outrage.

The more we scroll, the more we see of what we already believe. And the more we begin to fear, distrust, and even despise those who believe differently.

This isn’t connection — it’s division disguised as engagement.

Who’s Getting Rich?

This is the part we can’t afford to ignore.

While we give away our time, our attention, our presence, and our peace — tech companies grow richer by the second. Not just in money, but in data.

Our behaviors. Our beliefs. Our fears. Our patterns.

We have become the product.

And the cost? It’s our focus. Our mental health. Our spiritual wholeness.

We are being spiritually impoverished by platforms that profit from our pain and distraction.

Remembering What’s Real

We didn’t come here to be endlessly entertained.

We didn’t come here to chase validation through screens.

We didn’t come here to be pacified by flashing images and short dopamine bursts while our souls quietly starve.

We came here for connection.

To love.

To be known.

To walk barefoot in the sand. To hold hands in silence.

To laugh until we cry.

To look someone in the eyes and feel time stop.

This is the medicine that heals the disconnection. And no app can replicate it.

So if you feel tired. Hollow. Distracted. Pulled in a thousand directions. Pause.

Not because you’re doing life wrong.

But because you’re responding exactly as these platforms are designed to make you respond. And the first step to reclaiming your sovereignty… is to remember.

You were never broken. You were never meant to do life through a lens.

You were meant to be here. Fully.

In the breath.

In the body.

In the present.

In connection.

In love.

Let’s remember that. Together.