Infinite Dopamine

:: Start (set: $scrolled to false) (set: $posted to false) You open your phone. Another day, another scroll. What do you do? [[Scroll through your feed]] [[Post something new]] [[Close the app]]

:: Scroll through your feed (set: $scrolled to true) Your finger guides you. An ad for clothes. A friend’s party. An influencers apology video. It never ends. [[Keep scrolling]] [[Comment on a post]] [[Close the app]]

:: Post something new (set: $posted to true) You snap a picture of you at the beach You add a caption: “Beach girlie!” (if: $scrolled is true)[ Within seconds, a warning appears: “Your post was removed for violating community guidelines.” You can’t even tell why. ] (else:)[ Within seconds, hearts start appearing. Then one comment: “Cringe.” You feel the dopamine hit fade away. ] [[Check comments again]] [[Scroll your feed]] [[Close the app]]

:: Close the app You set your phone down. The silence is almost too loud. No likes. No posts. Just silence. Then your phone buzzes. Notification: “You’ve been tagged.” [[Open the app again]] [[Ignore it and walk away]]

:: Keep scrolling More content floods your feed. Memes, politics, news. You can’t tell what’s real and what's fake Your eyes burn a little. Your head is hurting. But maybe just one more post… [[Scroll again]] [[Comment ]] [[Close the app]]

You snap a picture of you at the beach You add a caption: “Beach girlie!” Within seconds, hearts start appearing. Then one comment: “Cringe.” You feel the dopamine hit fade away. [[Check comments again]] [[Scroll your feed]] [[Close the app]]

:: Scroll again Everything is a blur The comments mean nothing. You forget why you started scrolling at all. You are part of the feed now. **ENDING: Dopamine overload.** [[Restart ->Restart]]

:: Comment on a post You write: "This is so stupid." You hit send. For a moment, it feels good to let your emotions out. Then you refresh. Your comment is gone. Maybe you deleted it? Maybe the platform did. No one will ever know. [[Repost the comment]] [[Scroll again]] [[Close the app]]

:: Check comments again One person liked it. Another unfollowed you. You start to overthink about what you posted You start to wonder if anyone actually likes what you posted. [[Scroll again]] [[Close the app]]

:: Scroll After Posting (if: $posted is false)[ (set: $posted to true) ] You refresh the feed after posting. Your own post appears for at the top — then disappears into the endless amount of feed. New posts appear instantly: A dog picture. A pasta recipe. A meme. You scroll without thinking. [[Like a post]] [[Comment on a post]] [[Keep scrolling]] [[Close the app]]

:: Open the app again You’re back. The feed never left you. It was waiting for you. Your sanity slips away with each scroll. [[Keep scrolling]]

:: Ignore it and walk away You decide to take a break. You walk outside. Your mind clears. (if: $posted is true)[ Your phone buzzes again. **Notification:** “Your post violated community guidelines.” You get frusterated ] (if: $scrolled is true)[ Another vibration. **Notification:** “You’ve been tagged again.” You second guess. Just for a second. ] For the first time, you feel alive without being seen. **ENDING: Disconnected.** [[Restart ->Restart]]

:: Repost the comment You rewrite it, slightly different this time: "People should think before they post." It appears. Then disappears again. A message flashes: "Your comment violated community guidelines." You feel invisible. [[Keep scrolling]] [[Post something new]] [[Close the app]]

:: Keep scrolling The feed never stops. The dopamine drip continues. [[Scroll After Posting]] [[Close the app]]

:: Comment on a post You write: "This is embarrassing." You hit send. For a moment, you regret what you just commented Then you refresh. Your comment is gone. Maybe you deleted it? Maybe the platform did. No one will ever know. [[Repost the comment]] [[Scroll again]] [[Close the app]]

:: Like a post You double-tap a picture of the pasta recipe It feels meaningless, but strangely satisfying. A tiny red heart appears. [[Keep scrolling]] [[Close the app]]

:: Scroll After Posting You refresh the feed, waiting for the rush. Your post has two new likes. One is from a stranger. You keep scrolling. More posts fill your feed. Each flick of your finger feels so satisfying You feel your dopmine rise more [[Like another post]] [[Comment on a post]] [[Close the app]]

:: Like Another Post You double-tap another photo — a stranger’s sunset. A red heart appears for a second, then vanishes into the stream. It feels good. Just enough to keep going. You can't stop. Your feed begins to blur. The faces melts into the screen. You try to stop scrolling, but you just can't. It's impossible. Somewhere, a notification pings. Your dopamine rises, your brain is tingling. You realize the feed isn’t endless. It’s swallowing you. The dopamine becomes all you are. **ENDING: Consumed.** [[Restart->Start]]

:: Restart (set: $scrolled to false) (set: $posted to false) (set: $consumed to false) You blink. Was that all a dream, or another scroll? [[Begin again->Start]]