I go through this recurring cycle every 6 to 8 months where I get completely burned out from the internet, the news, Reddit, social media, and so on.

I've tried practicing digital minimalism over and over again, but it’s tough when your job forces you to spend eight hours a day in front of a computer. And now, once again, I’ve hit that point where I’m constantly angry about the world out there. So I reinstalled Cold Turkey on my PC and blocked every news site, along with Reddit, Instagram, and a few others.

I consider myself left-wing, but I don’t see myself as some moral authority, nor do I think of right-wing people as evil Nazis—unless, of course, they actually are evil Nazis. This relentless polarization is one of the things that’s really getting on my nerves. Everywhere you go, there’s this endless circle-jerking—even in supposedly quieter corners of the internet, like the “small web” or Reddit alternatives like Lemmy. It’s exhausting to see such a childish, black-and-white view of the world, where Trump is “le dumb,” Putin is “le evil,” and Russians are “orcs.”

I remember when the internet wasn’t this political, before Trump became president in 2016. But ever since then, it’s been nonstop Trump-bashing. Even on subreddits that have nothing to do with politics, someone will inevitably find a way to blame Trump for something. My eyes hurt from the constant eye-rolling.

What bothers me most is that this kind of discourse is seeping into real life. A few days ago, I was at a pub, and of course, the topic of “Trump” came up. Everyone was eagerly agreeing about how dumb the “Cheeto man” is. I simply pointed out that someone who managed to maneuver himself into the U.S. presidency probably isn’t that dumb—and suddenly, I was a Trump supporter.

For context, I live in Germany, and these weren’t college kids—they were people in their mid-30s. But it’s the same everywhere. Whether it’s Trump, JD Vance, or some other politician from across the pond, everything feels so emotionally charged.

And it’s not just U.S. politics. If the topic isn’t Trump, it’s the “evil AfD” here in Germany. Now, I would never vote for the AfD—I think their platform is ass—but 10 million Germans do vote for them, and we can’t just ignore that. That’s not how parliamentary democracy works. I hope they never come to power, but if we keep ridiculing them and excluding them from public discourse, they probably will win eventually—just out of sheer defiance. Even if they did, Germany wouldn’t suddenly turn into the Fourth Reich.

Honestly, I’m frustrated with myself. I’ve wasted so much time mindlessly scrolling through Reddit, reading the same repetitive arguments again and again. I don’t even participate—I’m just lurking.

Instead, I could be spending that time reading a book, going on walks with my wife, tinkering with my motorcycle, or working on this website. Let’s hope I can stick with this detox a bit longer, for the sake of my own mental health.