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The Cost of Always-On
We live in a world that rewards constant presence. Every notification demands your gaze, every trending topic demands your opinion, every algorithm punishes absence. Being “always-on” has become the baseline expectation — not the exception.
And yet, being always-on comes at a cost. The human mind wasn’t designed for nonstop connection, rapid-response culture, and perpetual comparison. Sleep is shorter, attention spans are fractured, and anxiety is amplified by the pressure to be perpetually available.
The irony is that connection has become extraction. Every moment you spend scrolling, replying, and engaging feeds a system that measures your attention as a commodity. Your energy becomes currency. Your time becomes debt.
Resisting the always-on economy doesn’t require a grand gesture. It can be as small as:
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Turning off notifications for a day.
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Taking a walk without documenting it.
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Saying “no” to one more event or message.
Each act is radical in its simplicity. Choosing presence over performance, quiet over broadcast, life over feed — that is the statement in 2025.
Shocktober Statement: Power isn’t in being seen; power is in reclaiming your focus.
