FAILING SOCIAL MEDIA

We are all dealing with big, important questions these days. Just this evening, for example, my husband turned to me with a troubled expression and asked, "So…what exactly is TikTok?" 

I shook my head despondently. "I have no idea. At first I thought maybe it was a character in a Pixar movie, but I realized I was confusing it with Forky. And then the girl who cuts my hair told me I should check out her TikTok dance, and I asked her if it was something like 'I'm a Little Teapot,' but with a clock." 

"And?" 

"And she just patted my arm and gave me a sad look." 

Now, you need to understand that I have tried very, very hard to stay on top of social media. I never referred to "The Facebook." I spoke knowledgeably about LinkedIn, discovered Pinterest, opened a Twitter account, and once impressed my kids when I mentioned I'd been on Reddit to find out what everyone thought L + R = J meant in Game of Thrones. 

There was also the period where my husband and I discovered emojis and GIFs (which I admit I am still not sure how to pronounce correctly). We were really proud of ourselves until our sons told us to stop. Immediately. 

😢😢😢

I was pretty much ready to listen to them, too, because I realized that every time I figured out one social media innovation, another popped up and made me feel stupid. For instance, when everyone under 30 fled Facebook in droves, I took a deep breath and dove into Instagram because that turned out be one of the easiest ways to see my Arizona granddaughter, whom impartial observers agree is the most adorable girl-child on the planet.. But suddenly everyone on Instagram started adding "stories" and graphics and music and other embellishments that require a degree in cinematography. I became depressed.

In fact, I almost gave up social media entirely. Luckily, before I did, I discovered some additional, very important benefits of remaining on Instagram. Click "Read More" to learn about three of them.

THE ROCK

THE NORSE GOD

THE EMOTIONAL-SUPPORT CANADIAN

Yep, that's right. You can follow famous people. Specifically, good-looking, muscular famous people who post pictures on a daily basis. And that, my friends. is the best argument for sticking with social media. Maybe even better than grandkids.