Endless Scroll: What Franz Kafka Would Think About Social Media Addiction

In a world where we’re more connected than ever, it’s strange how lonely people often feel. Social media was supposed to bring us closer together, but for a lot of people, it’s turned into a trap—an endless scroll of highlights, comparison, and anxiety. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok are built to keep users hooked, chasing likes, views, and attention. If Franz Kafka, one of the most famous absurdist writers, were alive today, he’d probably see social media addiction as a perfect example of modern absurdity. His stories are all about alienation, meaningless systems, and losing yourself—things that feel a lot like the world of social media today. Through his writing and his way of looking at life, Kafka would probably see social media as something that promises connection but actually isolates people even more.

Kafka’s stories often show characters trapped in bizarre, unexplainable situations where they slowly lose who they are. In The Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa wakes up one day as a giant bug: “When Gregor Samsa woke one morning from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed right there in his bed into some sort of monstrous insect” (Kafka, The Metamorphosis). No one helps him, and eventually, even his family turns their backs on him. Kafka uses Gregor’s story to show how easy it is for people to get isolated when they no longer fit into society’s expectations. Social media does something similar. People edit, filter, and shape their online selves so much that their real identity starts to fade away. Research backs this up: a study in Computers in Human Behavior found that “young adults with higher social media use were more likely to report feelings of social isolation than their peers with lower social media use” (Twenge et al.). Kafka would probably see this as another kind of sad transformation—people becoming strangers to themselves, just like Gregor.

Kafka was also obsessed with how confusing systems could control people’s lives without them even understanding why. In The Trial, Josef K. gets arrested for no clear reason, and no one will explain anything to him. Kafka writes, “It’s only because of their stupidity that they’re able to be so sure of themselves” (The Trial). That frustration feels a lot like trying to understand social media algorithms today. These algorithms control what we see, who gets attention, and even how we feel about ourselves—but no one really knows how they work. Scholar Safiya Noble points out that “search engines and social media platforms are not neutral; they reflect the biases of their creators and the society they operate in” (Noble). Kafka would probably argue that people today are stuck in a digital trial, judged by systems they can't see and rules they’ll never understand.

Kafka also wrote a lot about people chasing something that always seems just out of reach. In his short story Before the Law, a man spends his whole life trying to get through a door that was supposedly meant just for him. Kafka writes, “No one else could gain admittance here, since this entrance was meant solely for you” (Before the Law). It’s heartbreaking because the man never actually gets inside. Social media works the same way sometimes. People keep posting, scrolling, and searching for attention and validation, but often just end up feeling worse. A 2022 study in the Journal of Adolescence found that teens who carefully curated their profiles “reported significantly higher levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms” (Burnell et al.). Kafka would probably see social media as a modern version of this endless, hopeless search for meaning.

Kafka’s own struggles also give us clues about how he might see social media today. In a letter to his friend Max Brod, Kafka once said, “I have hardly anything in common with myself.” That feeling of being disconnected from who you really are sounds a lot like what happens on social media, where people build perfect-looking profiles that only show a piece of who they really are. Over time, that gap can cause serious mental health problems. Researchers found that “the pressure to maintain an idealized online image can increase stress and dissatisfaction” (Burnell et al.). Kafka would probably see this as another way people get pulled apart, trying so hard to be seen and liked that they forget who they really are inside.

Even the way Kafka wrote—dark, confusing, and full of dead ends—feels a lot like the experience of getting lost online. In The Castle, the main character K. spends the whole story trying to reach someone in charge, but no matter what he does, he never succeeds. Kafka describes it as “a labyrinth where the only certainty is disappointment” (The Castle). Chasing popularity or influence online can feel exactly like that. No matter how much you post or try, real success always seems just a little out of reach, and the system doesn't really care about you. Kafka’s stories show what it’s like to fight for something in a world that doesn't seem to notice—and that’s exactly what social media feels like for a lot of people.

If Kafka were alive today, he wouldn’t be shocked by social media addiction. Honestly, he might even say it makes perfect sense. He would probably see it as more than just a bad habit—it would be proof that we’re trapped in an absurd, meaningless system. Social media promises connection but often leaves people feeling even more alone. It claims to give people power but usually makes them feel powerless. Kafka would probably argue that social media is just another way modern life pressures people to perform, to chase unreachable goals, and to lose pieces of themselves along the way.

In the end, looking at social media through Kafka’s eyes shows just how sad and absurd it really is. We scroll to feel something, to feel seen, but usually end up more lost than when we started. Kafka’s work reminds us that systems built without real meaning can quietly take over our lives. His stories aren’t just weird old fiction—they're closer to real life now than ever before. And in today’s world of endless notifications and curated feeds, Kafka’s voice feels more important than ever.

Works Cited

Burnell, Kelsey, et al. “Curated Selves and Mental Health: The Impact of Social Media Presentation on Adolescent Wellbeing.” Journal of Adolescence, vol. 94, 2022, pp. 17-25.

Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis. Translated by David Wyllie, Project Gutenberg, 2005.

Kafka, Franz. The Trial. Translated by Breon Mitchell, Schocken Books, 1998.

Kafka, Franz. “Before the Law.” The Complete Stories, edited by Nahum N. Glatzer, Schocken Books, 1995.

Kafka, Franz. The Castle. Translated by Mark Harman, Schocken Books, 1998.

Noble, Safiya Umoja. Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism. NYU Press, 2018.

Twenge, Jean M., et al. “Social Media Use and Perceived Social Isolation Among Young Adults in the U.S.” Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 66, 2017, pp. 1-9.