Will there come a time for all of us to log off social media for good?

Born in one of the last identifying years of the millennial generation, I have had the profound fortune — or misfortune — of growing up alongside the evolution of “Big Social.” The networking platforms that have changed our world — Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram — came of age as I did. And for 15 years, I have shared my life online and looked onto others’, mesmerized by a never-ending parade of digital show-and-tell. Facebook dominated high school and most of college. Excited proclamations about which college or sorority a person chose became routine, as did albums of school dances, weekend happenings and family vacations. Later, Instagram showed up, in a more commanding format, and late adopters like myself thought, “What would I even take photos of? My life isn’t that interesting.” The answer, evident today, is “everything” and “yes, it is.” Before the advent of Big Social, humans were not yet omnipotent beings. Our knowledge of other people’s lives was confined to conversations and observations within the square miles surrounding our homes, school, work and extracurriculars. Now, thanks to algorithms and a collective impulsivity, I know my friend’s cousin recently got engaged at a picnic on the beach in…
Read More