The incendiary argument that "social media is for idiots" gains traction in an era of algorithmic outrage and performative posting. This critique hinges on three damning observations:

The Attention Crash

Platforms now reward conflict over conversation, with studies showing 60% of viral posts rely on anger or misinformation. The average user spends 2.5 hours daily chasing dopamine hits from likes.

The Illiteracy Spike

TikTok’s "text apocalypse" sees Gen Z preferring 15-second videos over reading paragraphs. Stanford research notes 38% of college students now struggle to analyze complex texts.

The Conformity Paradox

While touted as spaces for "expression," algorithms create digital clones—users increasingly mirror their feeds’ politics, aesthetics, and even speech patterns within weeks.

Yet the article concedes: social media could be a tool for genius if rebuilt around slow discourse and quality gatekeeping. Until then? "It’s just a circus where everyone’s both clown and audience."