Welcome back to Connections with Eric! In this thirteenth episode, I share how I went from Twitter to LinkedIn to Bumble, each time thinking these apps would help my life, and each time realizing they were just hijacking it instead.
If you caught episode 12 where I shared the crazy idea that gave me more purpose than my career, this episode is about the darker side of building connections: the apps engineered to keep you scrolling instead of actually living.
This episode is all about catching yourself scrolling without even enjoying it, why internet friends don’t show up at 2 a.m. when your car breaks down, and the moment I realized I was 15 years old again refreshing Bumble every 10 minutes.
Keep reading below for why I quit Twitter cold turkey, how LinkedIn became my new addiction, and what happened when I finally turned off all notifications and put my phone in another room at night.
Table of Contents
Listen Now
Catch the full episode on your favorite podcast platform:
Scrolling Without Enjoying It
You ever catch yourself scrolling through an app and realize you’re not even enjoying it? That was me with Twitter, then LinkedIn, and then, God help me, Bumble. What started as networking or dating turned into me basically being a lab rat pushing the dopamine button all day. And at some point, you gotta ask: is this actually helping my life, or just hijacking it?
Twitter: The First Addiction
You ever catch yourself scrolling through an app and realize you’re not even enjoying it? That was me with Twitter. I’d log on, banter with a few people I thought were interesting, throw out a tweet or two, and then keep checking back like some degenerate gambler at the slot machine. I did this for like three years.
And to be fair, Twitter gave me some cool stuff. I met some founders, I even booked my entire season three of my podcast Innovators Can Laugh from people I met there. So yeah, it wasn’t all bad. But here’s the thing, I realized I wasn’t enjoying the actual moments of my life.
I’d be at the park with my kids and they’d be like, “Daddy, look!” And instead of, you know, actually looking, I’m staring at my phone like a zombie. And you can’t exactly tell your 7-year-old, “Hang on buddy, this stranger on the internet just liked my tweet. That’s way more important than your Tarzan swing from that tree.”
So I quit Twitter. Cold turkey.
LinkedIn: The New Habit
But then, like some addict who quits drinking and suddenly “discovers” gambling, I just moved the habit over to LinkedIn. I was posting three-four times a week, learning how to write “hooks,” commenting on everyone’s stuff, checking notifications constantly. And yeah, I got results, 70% of my b2b podcast network came from LinkedIn. But again, these weren’t real friends. They were “internet friends.” Great for business, but they’re not showing up if my car breaks down at 2 a.m.
So I scaled way back.
Bumble: The Final Straw
Then came the separation and moving into my own apartment. And that’s when the little voice in my head said, “Hey, you know what you should do? Sign up for Bumble. That’ll solve everything.”
So I downloaded Bumble. And suddenly, I was 15 years old again, refreshing my phone every 10 minutes like: “Did she swipe? Did she like me? Oh wait, she unmatched. Guess I’ll just die alone then.”
That’s when I realized, these apps are engineered like casinos. Infinite profiles, infinite swiping, little dopamine hits every time someone matches with you. It’s not love, it’s not connection, it’s Pavlov ringing the dinner bell.
And you know what? It gave me anxiety. I’ve never really been an anxious guy, but suddenly I’m checking Bumble, Instagram, Facebook, and feeling restless, distracted, on edge. It wasn’t making me happier, it was making me worse.
What I Did
So here’s what I did:
- I cancelled my Bumble subscription.
- I stopped checking Facebook and Instagram daily.
- I started putting my phone in another room when I went to bed. (Because nothing says “loser” like waking up and immediately picking up your phone to check Bumble and see if you got any new likes)
- And I turned off notifications completely.
And now? I’m calmer. I wake up slower, I do some deep breathing, I’m actually present. I’m building real in-person connections instead of fake internet ones.
The Real Truth
Look, these apps aren’t all bad. I’ve made real connections through Twitter, LinkedIn, even Bumble. But the default setting is addiction. It’s engineered to keep you scrolling, not to help you live.
So if you’re stuck in that same loop I was, endless checking, endless scrolling, here’s my advice: shut it down. Go outside. Go talk to a real person. Because trust me, no one on Bumble is going to come help you move a couch.
Conclusion
Twitter, LinkedIn, Bumble, they all promised connection but delivered addiction instead. What started as networking or dating turned into endless scrolling, constant checking, and anxiety I never had before.
The apps aren’t inherently evil. I met founders on Twitter, built my podcast network on LinkedIn, and had some decent dates from Bumble. But the default setting is designed to hijack your attention, not improve your life. You’re not using the app, the app is using you.
So I made changes: cancelled subscriptions, stopped daily checking, put my phone in another room at night, turned off all notifications. And suddenly I’m calmer, more present, and building real connections instead of internet ones.
The lesson? These apps are engineered like casinos to keep you pushing the dopamine button. If you catch yourself scrolling without even enjoying it, it’s time to shut it down and go talk to a real person. Because no one on Bumble is showing up at 2 a.m. when your car breaks down.
New episodes drop every Wednesday!
For more episodes and stories like this, check out my complete episode guide. And fyi, if you didn’t know, I’m rebuilding my social life after separation through cocktail parties, game nights, and even Timeleft. Want the playbook? Get it by clicking here.