Addiction

It's all fun and games until someone loses their phone privileges.

For this challenge, I'm using the idea of social media as an example of ADDICTION. Small alphabet beads create lines and text to form the story. Some of the words are the phrases and abbreviations we use in our everyday text communication.

At first, it's just about entertainment; an amusing distraction from boredom, a way to bond with friends and find people with similar interests. Some of the words = NOVELTY, LOL, LIKE, SHARE, FOLLOW...

Then I get pulled in further, using more frequently, the fun starts to fade into more of a compulsion.

Obsessively CHECK CHECK CHECK for updates. REFRESH REFRESH REFRESH the screen..

Social media becomes the top source of Local, National and International news. That dependence makes me vulnerable to manipulation.

TROLL, FAKE NEWS, BOT, DOGWHISTLE..

Other voices amplify every message, especially the negative ones.

VIRAL, RT, RT, RT, RT...

I can't stop reading the next comment and the next, even as it makes me feel worse and worse.

I have less patience with people who don't share my opinions.

WTF, UNFRIEND, BLOCK, REPORT

Negative consequences develop. I start to ignore other parts of life while I check for updates. Time, relationships, sleep, health start to suffer.

Even when I see it happening, I can't seem to break away.

TIMESUCK, TWITTER WAR, SEPARATION ANXIETY, STALKER...

Finally, everything devolves into a blur of meaningless words. Voices and opinions become an orchestra out of tune. Some diehard friend reaches out to offer help but it's hard to pick out their voice in the noise.

LOSING TOUCH, ARE YOU OK, NOTHING MAKES SENSE...

How did this go so far so fast? It started out as harmless fun.

I DID IT FOR THE LOLZ...