Social media isn’t causing the erosion of interpersonal connection; it’s revealing it. We’ve already mastered the art of supplanting honesty with bullshit; replacing true opinions with politically-correct non-statements; eliminating “judgement”; spouting euphemisms. That’s what disconnects us. Nobody’s fat anymore; nobody’s poor; there are no “used” cars, and everyone’s specially-abled. What’s left of the truth is buried in fine print, in a disclaimer too small to see on screen too briefly to be read. Some restrictions apply; not available in all areas; dramatization; results not typical. “Everything we’ve said is a lie.” That’s what we’re surrounded by, 24-7. Choosing a more flattering picture than not for our Instagram portfolios isn’t the problem, it’s just the latest way for people to bolster an illusion – life as we wish it to be. We can’t handle the truth, and are too cowardly to tell it.
