The ‘truly, madly, deeply’ of life without social media.

I recently imagined a world devoid of social media, until I realised I didn’t need to imagine - I remember it.

I am part of what demography refers to as the ‘Sandwich Generation.’ This is a narrowly defined group that sits between Boomers and Generation X. There is no specific age, rather a range and set of circumstances that relate to how the modern world has evolved where people are having children much later in life, hence, parents become grandparents later.

This leaves a unique cohort in the position where they find themselves caring for their parents as well as their adult children, anywhere in the age range from the late 40s to early 60s.

Recreated image of what life was like for teenagers in the 1970s.

There is often tension between the generations, more notably between millennials who take aim at the wealthy boomers who they consider have robbed them of the chance to own a home and a life of relative comfort, and the boomers who sometimes accuse the young at not working hard enough, reminding them that life is relative and boomer times also presented their own set of challenges.

While there may be some truth in both cases, it is definitely not the overall story.

Demographics are not a wholly accurate indication of a society’s worth, certainly not the integrity of the individual. But we have a bit of a fancy in this modern world to take aim at them from the relative perspectives.

But back to recalling life without social media.

Oh, what a joy it was. Truly, madly and deeply, it was a joy.

We were forced to “think” more in every way about what our day would comprise of. We looked forward to things because they were something we had to wait for, rather than the instant gratification sugar hit before we then moved on to the next “to die for” whatever it was we are chasing. We thought more before we spoke or delivered the great rant of the century. There was no downtime for checking updates on the latest crisis in the world; or texting “just in case I forget;” or “I don’t want to miss that call.”

More conversations took place around the dinner table, in the playground, on our breaks, and at work. Life was truly sociable in the “antiquated” way we humans once viewed sociability.

I miss it. But as much as I would like a return to that world, I know it won’t happen. The entire planet has moved on, and at a speed most humans cannot keep up with.

But this is our world. It is the one into which we were born, and in which we must learn to navigate.

But here is to remembering the good ol’ days of a world without information overload!

May you forever reside in the deep recesses of our minds and remind us that we had it great once.