In late 2022, I decided to give up coffee after years of starting my mornings with a hefty dose of 350 ml. It was time for a change. For ten days, I battled intense caffeine withdrawal symptoms, including unbearable migraines. Finally, I caved and made myself a tiny cup of coffee. What happened next surprised me, to say the least. My heart raced, my hands shook uncontrollably, cold sweat covered my body, and my mind seemed to go into shock. This tiny cup had affected me in a way I had never imagined possible. It became clear that after just ten days without caffeine, my nervous system and adrenal glands had undergone a form of detoxification. Years of regular coffee consumption had severely dulled my senses.
Recently, I took a brief hiatus from social media and noticed a striking change in my mental well-being upon returning to Twitter. The barrage of other people's thoughts—mostly chaotic—literally made me feel ill. It became clear that, much like my body with caffeine, my mind had become desensitized after prolonged exposure. This experience prompted me to reconsider my theory of mental synchronicity. Our minds seem to synchronize instantly with anyone we engage with, and the exchange of information and energy between two people is bidirectional and imperceptible. In this sense, social media functions like modern-day opium, dulling our mental faculties in much the same way addictive substances desensitize the body. Reverend Ike emphasized that thoughts are psychic entities, and if this is true, social media platforms could serve as conduits through which these entities—including harmful ones—latch onto us. 'Psychic residue,' then, is the emotional and energetic imprint left behind after an online session, lingering long after the interaction has ended.
