Social media has fundamentally transformed how individuals share their daily lives, offering unprecedented avenues to connect with family, friends, and strangers alike. However, this digital sharing comes with a distinct set of incentives that can quietly narrow the scope of human experiences being shared. On a recent episode of the discussion series “Settle In,” host Geoff Bennett spoke with author Kathryn Jezer-Morton to explore these dynamics, focusing on her new book, “The Story of Your Life: How Social Media Shapes the Way We Experience Everything.”
At the heart of the discussion was what Jezer-Morton describes as the redemption narrative—the persistent cultural pressure to convert any personal hardship or difficulty into an inspiring story of personal growth and triumph. When asked why people are so deeply drawn to this arc, Jezer-Morton traced the phenomenon back to foundational elements of American identity and capitalist culture. She noted that the national project was built on overcoming odds and pursuing economic progress, making the redemption narrative a natural extension of those ideals.
While applying a redemption arc makes sense when discussing a business enterprise or economic progress, Jezer-Morton argued that it fits poorly when applied to individual lives and families. Human experiences are inherently filled with ups and downs that do not always point toward a neat resolution. Embracing a narrative where an experience was simply difficult—without necessarily making a person better or teaching a profound lesson—feels radically dissonant to contemporary audiences accustomed to seeking tidy takeaways.
To explore these themes for her book, Jezer-Morton stepped outside her usual social circles to interview a wide variety of people, predominantly millennials. She connected with strangers through platforms like Meetup.com and local community groups on Facebook, building chapters around the stories that resonated most strongly with her. Rather than forcing a preconceived thesis, she allowed the real-world accounts of everyday people to guide the structure of her work.
Another central paradox examined during the discussion is the tension between social media’s promise of radical individuality and the striking conformity it actually generates. Jezer-Morton refers to this dynamic as a “small-C conservatism,” where individuals seek to replicate modes of living and presentation they have already witnessed online. Because not everyone possesses an endless well of creative storytelling ideas, users frequently adopt familiar templates for success, such as showcasing specific types of vacations or lifestyle milestones.
Ultimately, these shared templates funnel users into standardized ways of narrating their lives, creating a cultural environment where digital self-expression often leads directly back to widespread uniformity. Full episodes of “Settle In” are available for viewing on YouTube and across major podcast platforms.
