What Is Social Media Ruining Now?

Awl pal Mary Pilon believes that Instagram is ruining vacation, but isn’t it possible that what’s really ruining vacation is our embarrassing desperation to show others what full and exciting lifestyles we lead? Maybe the real problem is we’re so afraid of how meaningless our sorry lives are that we will grasp at any attempt to prove to the universe that we’re here, that we matter, that we’re not just shuffling toward the tomb. It could be that our pathetic need for validation has finally found a format that briefly allows us to feel as if we’re being noticed and approved of. But also, sure, fuck Instagram. Fuck you and your filters. WE’VE ALL SEEN SUNSETS, ASSHOLE. Jesus Christ, take a picture of yourself reading a book or something, maybe then I’d be impressed.