Man explains why our lives haven’t ‘felt real’ since the 2020 lockdown: 'We are in a routine'

People have started to spend way more time on social media than they used to before the pandemic. However, that did come with some consequences. Now, we have begun to find our validation in social media rather than living our lives outside of it. Mike Mancusi—who goes by @mikemancusi on TikTok—an American comedian spoke about why our lives haven't moved on in the last four years and it does have something to do with our lives on social media.

“Do you feel like the last four years of your life since 2020 haven’t felt like actual reality?” he says. He has seen a lot of videos, particularly from millennials who share that they don’t remember their life before 2020 and that it feels like that part was either not a reality or it was erased from their actual life. Mancusi accepted that he also felt the same way. “The cause of this phenomenon is the fact that we're not living life in reality anymore," the comedian states.

 He made a valid point by saying that 2020 “smashed our existence” into our phones, into the digital world and we no longer are living in our “physical space” and only dealing with things that are in our “circle of influence.” He then went on to compare life to living in a video game. Mancusi says that we now have access to all the “awful things” that happen to people around the world.

“We are still organic beings and our brains have become completely connected to this artificial device,” he says. The comedian also adds that when people are on vacation they still want to keep clicking pictures because they don't want to miss out on what's happening on social media.

He says that we are all in a routine where we are connected to what is happening on our phones and not the reality. “On top of that we experience all the issues that are happening in the world,” he shares. Mancusi explains that this is unhealthy and if it is not from our circle of influence, we shouldn’t let it affect our emotional health.

The comedian has just one tip for everyone: “You can turn it off. If you turn it off it doesn’t exist for you anymore,” he says about devices. He asks people to focus on things that are happening in the physical space. “The love you are surrounded by, your friends, your family, or your dogs or cats,” the person says. He adds that it doesn’t need to be compromised by filming it just because others are doing that. “Live your life in your physical space, find joy in the things in your physical space,” he concludes.

People in the comments could completely relate to what the comedian shared. @leeandrarealtor commented, “I literally went from being a complete extrovert to a hermit introvert.” @latinaqueen1092 wrote, “I'm turning 29 this year I feel like I should be turning 26.”@tanane84 said, “I turned into a different person. I was once outgoing, spontaneous, and active. Now I just sit at home riddled with anxiety worrying about things that will never happen.” @patrick_is_a_pessimist shared, “I can’t even experience the real world anymore. Nothing makes me feel anything besides anxiety and stress.” @emilydaniel_artist commented, “This is how I describe A LOT of my life. ‘pre-Covid’ and ‘post-Covid.’”

You can follow Mike Mancusi on TikTok and Instagram for more relatable content.