The Internet has made me paranoid

Every reply sounds like ChatGPT. The obvious agreeable tone. The fortune cookie cliches. They just summarized what I said, with fancier words.

Online interactions feel like a waste of time.

Every DM from someone I don't know feels like a sales pitch waiting to happen. The generic compliments that sound copied and pasted. The invasive questions that quickly turn into an invitation to “hop on a call.” The fake nice to try to sell me something.

My inbox now gives me anxiety.

Every video feels like Al. I watch them meticulously, looking for signs. Why did they pronounce it like that? How come their face moved funny? Nobody talks like this.

Why can't people just be real?

Maybe they are.

Maybe I'm cynical.

Maybe I need to put my phone in my pocket and save some internet for another day.