Don't Scroll, Engage

Social Media and You

Our smartphones and social media now mediate our most intimate moments. Romances begin with swipes and DMs, relationships end via text, and news of births and deaths arrive through notification bells on devices designed to shape every interaction.

For many, these technologies enhance connection. Those with rare conditions like cystic fibrosis find support groups that would be impossible to access locally. A transgender teen in a small town discovers communities that affirm their identity. A homebound elderly person maintains relationships with far-flung grandchildren. For the isolated, the internet is truly transformative.

But critical questions remain: Are these technologies deepening or inhibiting our meaningful connections? How do they affect our happiness?

(Robert Waldinger, continues)