“The contrast between global crisis and personal update is so stark, it creates a kind of emotional whiplash,” Ali Moran, the founder of a communications agency, told me. Moran continued, “Silence has become its own kind of statement, but so has posting something unrelated. It feels like there’s no right move.” It can feel safer to retreat altogeth... See more

“I feel like everyone in my generation is kind of a voyeur now,” still scrolling but not posting. She continued, “People don’t want to be perceived,” and if they do post they “feel a bit of a vulnerability hangover.”

What do we see on social media now, more than fifteen years since its advent? A sea of influencers and creators aspiring to varying degrees of high-budget polish; headlines announcing the latest horrors of international wars; images, videos, and text generated by artificial intelligence; and unmitigated trolling and attention farming catered to use... See more

During the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, many individual users and corporate accounts were hesitant to post any content unrelated to activism. That feeling has returned now amid events such as Israel’s war in Gaza and President Trump’s mobilization of ice against migrants. “The contrast between global crisis and personal update is so stark, ... See more

Are You Experiencing Posting Ennui?