I have the same sentiment with my own internet habits. Could I be doing something more useful? Totally. I could be going on a walk, reading a book, or practicing a hobby. However, I don't think it's too harmful to stroll through the same rolodex of websites as a form of leisure even if the content provided doesn't nourish the mind and the body. If I'm being honest with myself, I'd find another vapid avenue of entertainment had I no access to the internet. The concerning aspect with social media (and online content in general) is the constant desire to check back in on relatively frequent intervals. I try and stay away as often as I can but I still sense that pull to check in..

Don’t be so apologetic, HN shouldn’t care if you think it’s trash.

Please don't put words in my mouth. It said nothing of the sort.

The message is this: What so often (read: too often) masquerades as meaningful and of substance - in the grand scheme of things - really isn't. It creates a self-serving blind-spot. And thus reactions such as yours.

FB definitely adds much more value to my life than HN or reddit.

Absolutely spot on. I hope one day we'll have better ways to filter out meaningful posts and comments out of the noise.

Yes. But it also takes self-filtering. You have to forces yourself to "Just say/do no." :)

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE to learn new things. But I'm finding - as I look in the mirror - that I'm picking up too much (what amounts to) trivia. And that the human connects are far from legit.

But this is my doing. I've forgotten to say "no thank you." But admitting I have the problem is my first step to addressing it.