Why I’m Quitting Social Media in 2025

“Social Media is the Devil.”
— Christianity

Isn’t this mind blowing? I’ve been using—and being used by—social media for over 13 years.

Back when everyone else was flashing their shiny new iPhones and sending dick pics from the palm of their hand, I was rocking a Sanyo Katana flip phone. It didn’t have apps. But it took calls I never answered. And that was enough for me.

You see, back when social media was booming, I wasn’t very tech-savvy. I showed up late to the social media game. But eventually, I signed up on my laptop.

First it was Myspace.

When that flopped, it was Facebook.

Then Instagram.

Then Twitter (or “X”—aka Elon Musk’s propaganda machine).

Then TikTok.

Oh, and let’s not forget, LinkedIn!

But now its 2025 and I’m officially quitting social media. Again.

Why? Because ever since I joined something felt off. And the feeds are all fake. Like a popularity contest for people who peaked in high school and never figured out who they were without one.

And today, anytime I go on an app, there’s only one word I feel when I think about my experience with social media:

Disgust.

“What you put in is what you get out.”

That’s always been a core belief of mine. In life, in work, in business—you put in the time, the effort, the care, and eventually, something grows.

Maybe not immediately, maybe not always how you expected, but the return reflects the quality of the input:

1. You plant the seeds.
2. You do the work.
3. You show up for people.

Sadly, social media doesn’t follow those rules.

Social media isn’t based on reciprocity, or reality, or the idea that honest work gets honest results.

They’re not fields—you don’t plant something and watch it grow. They’re machines. Cold, engineered algorithms built to extract as much money as possible, while giving back as little as necessary.

“But Jef, I used to get so much organic reach on Instagram. I built a great business back in the day.”

Of course you did.

The early days felt organic, free, and easy. People also shared content without knowing what a “personal brand” was supposed to be.

And do you know why?

I do.

Back then, platforms were fighting for users. They were doing whatever they could to lure us in.

• “Enjoy some free reach.”
• “Here, let’s make that post go viral for ya.”
• “Look at all this engagement—you’re killing it, babe!”

And yeah, we got hooked.

But that wasn’t generosity. It was a growth strategy—one of the most successful and aggressive plays in internet history.

In those early days, reach was handed out like candy, luring us into the back of their white minivans.

Social media never once cared about us. They just needed us. They needed our content, they needed our attention, and most of all, they needed the numbers.

You see, for venture capitalists in California’s tech scene, user growth is more addictive than their cocaine habits.

• In the 1980s, Silicon Valley served as a hub for international cocaine trafficking, becoming part of the region’s work culture—fueling innovation, competition, and long hours (Source: The Guardian)
• Today, nearly 10% of tech workers in the U.S. struggle with substance abuse (Source: American Addiction Centers)
• In fact, a 2014 San Jose Mercury News exposé highlighted that many employers turned a blind eye to stimulant abuse—including cocaine and Adderall—to maintain high work productivity (Source: The Mercury News)

See? Social media doesn’t even care for their employees.

So they’re sure as hell not giving any shits about our mental well-being. Oh, and don’t get me started on the damage being done to our children:

• Research from UA News highlights that social comparison online, especially regarding beauty and lifestyle, correlates with increased body dissatisfaction—a precursor to anxiety, depression, and eating disorders (Source: The University of Alabama)
• Neuroscientists now warn that doomscrolling—excessive consumption of negative content—has tangible impacts on teen brain development, including heightened anxiety, depression, and attention issues (Source: The Economic Times)
• A study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders by UT Southwestern found that among youths already in treatment for depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts, 40% reported problematic social media use, which was directly linked to worsened depressive symptoms, heightened anxiety, and overall disruptions in emotional well-being (Source: UT Southwestern Medical Center)
• A longitudinal study tracking nearly 12,000 children aged 9–10 found that heavy social media use predicted 35% higher risk of depressive symptoms over three years—suggesting that social media may cause future depression in tweens, not just reflect it (Source: )
• A Meta-sponsored experiment showed that even short breaks from Facebook or Instagram (a few weeks) can significantly boost emotional well-being—highlighting social media’s negative impact (Source: National Bureau of Economic Research)

Now do you believe me?

Social media is disgusting.

All it really cares about is getting all of us were addicted—sorry, I mean active as users—because achieving that means:

• VCs invest millions.
• Their valuation spikes into the billions.
• And barely-legal girls on the platform they built get flown out to yacht parties and private islands.

Okay, I’m about to go vomit now. But before I end this educational post, I want to remind you of this:

Every post we make, every friend we invited, every little notification dragging us back into the feed serves one purpose: to extract money from us—and give nothing back but dopamine addiction and mental illness.

Remember: social media exists because we feed it our lives. We trade our privacy and sanity so VCs and founders can get rich and live like greedy fucking kings.

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Are you thinking of quitting social media, too?

Ask yourself these questions:

• How much of your life have you given away to feeds that don’t care about you?
• What would your brain feel like without the noise?
• Is your attention fueling your goals—or someone else’s yacht party?
• If you disappeared from social media tomorrow… would your life get better?
• Why are you still scrolling if you’re not even sure why you started?

Before you quit social media for good, subscribe to my newsletter instead — it’s one of the few things I still write from a place of clarity and honesty.