It feels like the activity is partaking of me rather than the reverse

Thanks for giving me these words to describe the feeling so well. I don't feel interested and passionate... I feel consumed and dominated.

Now that I think about it, lots of words that describe focus have etymologies that feel appropriately sinister. Captivated, enthralled, enraptured, fascinated, bewitched, mesmerized, hooked - all related to being controlled against your will.

damn I actually remember seeing this when it was first posted to reddit

Local hospital claims the lives of thousands of patients. Will it strike again?

they're gonna love that sweet, sweet liability

AKA scabs

I had the exact same experience as you. No idea why, but you aren't alone.

Same. Finding an instance with the best community or matching interests felt silly when everything is changing quickly and discovery is still underbaked. I went with Lemmy.world because they seemed like the most capable admins.