Double tap on reality
- Weronika Kryś
- Jan 25
- 3 min read
Did it even happen if it wasn’t posted? Did it even happen if no one double-tapped it? Do we remember moments for how they felt or how many likes they got? Are we still present if our attention is always elsewhere?
Moments are no longer lived, they are uploaded. Friendships and experiences are paused, filtered and shared before we truly feel them. Social media has turned connection into a competition for likes, where validation comes from the screen, not from people around. In this constant chasing of online approval, people lose touch with reality and a double tap has become our way of approving.
Social media has quietly woven itself into our daily lives. Checking notifications has grown to be the first thing we do in the morning and the last before we fall asleep. A simple double tap has become so automatic like a habit, so natural that we rarely question it. But what really is a “double tap”? A double tap is more than just a quick movement of a thumb. It is a silent reaction, a small digital heartbeat that tells someone that they have been seen, liked and approved of. Over time, the double tap stopped being just a feature of an app, it became an emotional exchange. But what happens when a single double tap holds more power than genuine human connections? If validation fits into a tap, what happens to our sense of self?
When approval is measured in taps, our self worth becomes fragile. Likes begin to act like a gauge of worth, turning our confidence into something that can rise or fall with a number on a screen. We compare ourselves to carefully edited lives, forgetting that what we see online is just a glimpse and a highlight reel. Slowly, authenticity is replaced by performance and being ourselves becomes less important than the number of likes. One single double tap can lift confidence, create pressure and quietly shape how we value ourselves and our moments. But behind the need for approval lies something deeper than a habit, the human brain itself. Each notification and every double tap triggers a small release of dopamine, the chemical linked to pleasure and reward. This reaction encourages us to seek this feeling again and again, turning likes into a psychological invitation rather than a simple interaction. Over time, the brain begins to associate validation with happiness, making absence of likes feel like a rejection. This can lead to compulsive checking, anxiety and constant need of approval. Instead of strengthening self-confidence, each double tap becomes a reward system for our brain. As this psychological cycle continues, it begins to shape not only how we think, but also how we feel and behave in everyday life.
This psychological dependence doesn’t stay online, it spills into our emotions and relationships. Between notifications and silence, we risk forgetting what it feels like to simply exist in the moment. When validation is expected instantly, emotions become unstable, rising with likes and falling with silence. Friendships may feel more performative, measured by not genuine presence but interaction on the screen. Constant comparison to idealised online lives can intensify the feeling of loneliness and insecurity. Over time, this emotional pressure contributes to anxiety, low self-esteem and a distorted sense of belonging.
Finding balance in the digital world does not mean rejecting social media entirely, but learning to use it consciously. Setting boundaries such as limiting screen time or putting the phone away in special and meaningful moments, allows real connections to regain importance. Choose presence over posting. Choose connection over comparison. Choose real moments over virtual validation. When the screen goes dark, what remains should be the life you actually lived. Perhaps the most meaningful moments are the ones that were never double-tapped at all.
Page design Asya Chub
Bibliography
Trevor Haynes “Dopamine, Smartphones & You: A battle for your time.” Harvard University The Graduate School of Arts and Science. Accessed 02 Jan 2026. https://unplugged.sunygeneseoenglish.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2019/11/Domamine-PDF.pdf
Sherri Gordon “The Social Media and Mental Health Connection.” Verywell Mind. Accessed 02 Jan 2026. https://www.verywellmind.com/link-between-social-media-and-mental-health-5089347
Photos:
Top view hands holding smartphone, Freepik.com, Accessed 20 Jan 2026
Hands with mobile and coffees background, Freepik.com, Accessed 20 Jan 2026
Comments