By Jennifer McPherson

Please understand that when I say this, it’s coming from a place of care. I know it may sound judgmental at first, but it truly isn’t.

I’m an older millennial, and I do understand the value of social media. I understand its usefulness for business, for building a brand, for advancing initiatives, and even for sharing the gospel. I’m not anti–social media. I see its value.

But I keep coming back to this question:

Is there still such a thing as intimate moments that are meant to remain intimate moments?

It feels to me like, as a society, we’ve become increasingly voyeuristic because of social media. We’re living in a constant state of evaluating our lives through the lens of what would make “good content.” Instead of being fully present in our lives, we observe ourselves as we live them—asking, How will this look to others?

I believe there are real consequences to this.

One of the biggest is that we’ve become far more concerned with how we are seen than with how we actually are. Many people would rather be perceived as healthy, aware, healed, or spiritually mature than do the quiet, unseen work of cultivating environments where they actually become those things.

I think this is part of why you hear people—especially younger generations—talk almost nostalgically or euphorically about a society without social media. There’s a growing discomfort now, a sense of overexposure, as though nothing is sacred anymore.

I’ll be honest: some of what I see on social media genuinely makes me uncomfortable. I see videos of people sharing deeply intimate moments—lying in bed with their spouse, private interactions that feel profoundly personal—posted publicly for content. Watching this feels invasive. Not because intimacy itself is wrong, but because some intimacy was never meant to be broadcast.

Those moments belong between two people. If someone wants to share a thought or insight that came from that space, that’s one thing. But showing it feels unnecessary—and honestly, voyeuristic.

So yes, these are my thoughts.

And I’ve made a decision.

I only have one New Year’s resolution this year:

To spend less time on social media.

Not because social media is evil.
Not because it has no value.

But because I want to live my life, not curate it.