31 Years on a Screen
The Field Review: TFR-033
I can feel it happening. Social media is rotting my brain.
I’m 27 years old—born in 1997, stuck on the thinnest edge between Millennials and Gen Z. Some consider those of us born between 1996-1998 to be an overlooked sub-generation.
We’re not the 90s kids who grew up on dial-up internet and MySpace, and we’re not the TikTok teens dancing to trending audio. We’re the in-betweeners.
The elder statesmen of the younger crowd.
And like many of us born in those few strange years, I do in fact remember a time before social media. Barely.
My Social Journey
Facebook started gaining traction when I was in early high school. Back then, most of us didn’t even have smartphones, so updating your profile required logging onto your parent’s desktop computer after school. It felt optional, almost an afterthought.
But Instagram was different. I joined in 2014 while studying abroad in China. I’d been into photography for years, shooting with whatever camera I could get my hands on and editing my photos in a pirated version of Lightroom. Instagram felt like a space for people like me—a platform where visuals came first.
For a while, I found my groove. My feed became my creative portfolio—a grid of photos I was proud of, curated to look cohesive and professional.
This was during the heyday of Instagram “bangers,” and I was actively studying under the digital tutelage of Casey Neistat, Jimmy Chin, and the godfather of banger photography himself, Peter McKinnon.
I gained an unexpected following, hit 8,000 followers, and carved out a small corner of the internet where I could leave my mark.
But as my career took me deeper into marketing, my relationship with social media started to shift.
The Rise & Fall
Managing accounts for brands made me hyper-aware of the mechanics behind the scenes… algorithms, engagement farming, and the endless chase for relevance.
My personal account suffered the same fate as many others around this time, plummeting engagement reflecting a platform that no longer prioritized individual creativity.
What started as a space for connection had turned into a machine for monetization. Posts weren’t about sharing; they were about selling—whether it was a product, a brand, or an identity.
When these platforms started, I think they genuinely meant to connect people. And for a while, they did. I’m a firsthand witness to that.
I became ‘friends’ with people from all over the world through Instagram. Other photographers and creators that I knew I’d probably never meet in real life, but we connected through a shared camaraderie built around creativity.
Unfortunately, that Instagram is long gone.
It’s not about sharing anymore—it’s about chasing. Chasing trends. Chasing engagement. Chasing whatever scraps the algorithm decides to throw your way.
I’m not saying there’s no good left in it, because there are still plenty of people out there sharing meaningful things. But they’re getting drowned out by the noise—by the quick hits, the vanity, and the carousel of clickbait that many of us (including myself) are guilty of consuming.
Too Old for This Sh*t
I’m 27, and while that might signal youth, I feel too old for social media.
If I didn’t work in marketing, I would have deleted my entire digital footprint years ago. But I can’t. Social media is part of my job. I need to know how these platforms work to help my clients use them well.
So I stay. Begrudgingly.
But I’m starting to feel it—this growing sense that I’m losing something.
An app called Opal told me earlier this week that based on my current habits, I’m successfully on track to spend 31 years of my life looking at a phone screen.
Let that sink in. Thirty. One. Years.
A third of my life (best case scenario)—gone.
Not spent living, pretty much just spent dying.
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I’ve written about ambition plenty here in The Field Review. I think ambition is good. It drives us forward.
But ambition fueled by overstimulation? That’s something else entirely.
Scroll long enough, and you’ll see someone doing what you’re not—making more money, traveling to better places, living lives that seem impossibly curated.
It’s a never-ending feed of ambition fueled by overstimulation.
Notification.
Open. Swipe. View Story. Swipe. Hunt better. Swipe. Swipe. Embrace the grind. Swipe. Click. Open. Financial Literacy. Subscribe. Swipe. #Ad. Learn More. Swipe. Skip Ad. Comment for details. Swipe. Change your Mindset. Shop Now. Tag a Friend. Swipe. Swipe. Swipe.
35 minutes later I’ve learned that I don’t make enough money, I will likely develop a rare disease because I eat cereal for breakfast, I want to travel to Lofoten, Norway, the New Jersey drones are being piloted by Elvis, and I will never shoot a big buck again unless I buy this new food plot seed with a proprietary shell coating.
The feed of information never stops.
I know I will never reach the bottom. I know I’ll die before I see the end of my feed.
At some point, I had to ask myself: Who am I doing this for? What am I hoping to find at the end of the scroll? If I’m honest, I already know the answer.
Nothing. There’s nothing there.
Looking Up
I think people are starting to change. Social media isn’t going anywhere, but we’re waking up to what it’s costing us. We’re craving real things again.
Connection. Meaning. Simplicity.
I’ve been reading a lot of posts from other Substack writers who’ve been grappling with this same concept.
It’s not just individuals taking note, either.
Brands (by way of brand strategists) are also reevaluating their relationship with social media. Here’s a great piece from
explaining the transition to ‘Late Stage Social Media’: is another great place to explore what’s next.
I’m even seeing some brands flexing out of social and back to authentic storytelling through more direct, owned channels like email, print and in-person events, using their website as a hub for information rather than chasing engagement metrics on social media.
I think these shifts hint at something bigger. Brands are realizing they don’t have to be everywhere all the time. They’re choosing depth over breadth, recognizing that real connection often happens in the spaces that social media doesn’t reach.
Personally and professionally, I’m ready to be part of this change.
Tools, Not Life Jackets
At the end of the day, I can’t be social media-free. I work in brand strategy. These platforms are tools I need to use and understand.
But I can start using them as just that, tools. Nothing more. Nothing less.
A wrench is only useful when you have something to fix; it doesn’t make sense to carry it around all day, every day. Social media should be the same way.
So I’m making changes.
I downloaded Opal to lock myself out of apps for large chunks of the day. It’s a small step, but it’s already making a difference. I’m not scrolling as much, and more importantly, I’m thinking about scrolling even less.
I’m just… living.
Like I should have been doing all along.
From My Desk:
What I’m Thinking About: The best marketing campaigns have always been the ones that go against the grain, doing something unexpected and bold. Leaving social media entirely is a drastic shift from the standard strategy playbook we’ve all been following for the last decade. But... maybe that’s the point. It’s not the easiest choice, but it’s one worth thinking about a little more.
What I’m Doing: Celebrating Ohio State’s first-round playoff win last night. Some people like close games, but I’ll take a good old-fashioned Big Ten beatdown any day. If you’re a Tennessee Volunteers fan… well, enjoy the holiday season.
On Deck for Monday: I’m officially done with work for the year, so tomorrow’s schedule will look a lot like today’s—but with fewer Zoom calls and more duck calls.
From The Field Review Archives:
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Venture Onward,
Jack
I can really relate to the 96-98 generation. I remember life before social, but just barely!
Facebook was about staying in touch, IG was photography. Substack…
Every social platforms’ original intent has a shelf life, and every revision, reimagining of its use, or creation of a better mousetrap is an effort to squeeze another drop from a drying faucet.
I’m a realist more than a pessimist. I’ve run the race on social media for personal and professional reasons. After the election, I shut down my FB and IG accounts and solely engage here. I find myself sharing less and less unless it’s something new I’ve written. The devil is in the (pointless) details. I love the trove of great work and experiences I find here but I already see the erosion.