when i read books, make an effort to train my feed, talk to my friends who i know will be polite, dont click on videos that seem off etc. i feel like im lying to myself about reality and guarding myself from the ”real” honesty of some crude places on the internet. i also feel like monitoring what malicious comments say is just checking out the new social norms and that if i dont see what they say i will step out of line socially and do something embarassing. it just feels a bit humiliating and pathetic. when i do something innocuous its like i have a very evil comment section in my head saying very mean things. realistically i know that the title isnt true but i wonder if anybody feels the same.
I hope im not misinterpreting what you are saying…but no.
I sometimes engage with very toxic spaces on the internet (when/if) I feel like it. But obviously that would be tiresome to do so all the time.
I dont feel bad abstaining from social media that is actively harmful to my mental well being and in fact I should probably do so more often.