First published 2026
Social media platforms have replaced photo albums as the primary way we document our experiences. Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok now house our personal histories. Journalist Kathryn Jezer-Morton investigates how these algorithm-driven systems don't just change how we share information but actually alter the stories themselves. Through detailed research and conversations with ordinary users, she reveals how twenty years of posting has transformed what our life narratives look and sound like. Our shortened attention spans now demand spectacle and exaggeration in everyday storytelling. Jezer-Morton examines how we present our milestones, vacations, relationships, and struggles online, showing how these platforms influence our self-perception and our definitions of a meaningful life. The book demonstrates the extensive reach these digital spaces have gained over our identities and experiences, both virtual and real.
Genres: social-science, non-fiction, technology, 21st-century, current-affairs
Vibes: analytical, contemporary, critical, introspective, thought-provoking
Tropes: cultural-commentary, investigative-research, personal-testimony
Period: 21st century, 20 years of social media history
272 pages · Hardcover · Viking