Imaging there is no Facebook. No Instagram. No Twitter. No Snapchat. What do you spend your time doing? Who are you telling that story to about your weekend adventure in LA rescuing the neighbor’s cat and breaking into your friend’s apartment because you were out partying but they fell asleep on the couch. Who is listening to you? Who are you telling your stories to?

Not, who are you broadcasting your life to, because there is difference. Hopefully, another human being maybe?

But let’s (be kind and) rewind this VHS tape back to the start to get a glimpse of the Millennial foundation.

Facebook was founded in February 2004.  I was at Chapman University in Southern California at the time. I remember responding to a petition where our .edu email addresses were required in order to gain access the platform. There were other universities signing up too, but it took a certain number of signatures in order for Facebook to extend access to your university to the platform. They did. At the time, it was a closed platform for students only and it was glorious.

I remember the fun in sharing pictures from the party the night before, adding random commentary and tagging friends. We thought nothing more of it than a photo-sharing-I-just-ate-a-sandwich-status-update website. At one point everyone’s relationship status was “it’s complicated” because…it’s funny. Also, at the time there was NO MOBILE app; I would come back from class and have to log into Facebook’s desktop site to see updates.

Fast forward to 2014 where over half a billion users access Facebook exclusively through mobile devices.

When Facebook opened its doors to everyone, they held their initial IPO in May of 2012, our online world changed overnight. Suddenly, everyone’s mom was on the platform. Employers could see where you were on Monday night. Having the proper relationship status’s actually became important (gah!). We all became highly aware of the nuances of a public vs. private post. In that moment, we became our own brand ambassadors almost immediately.

Shifting to some of the other social giants, Twitter was founded in March 2006. I joined April 2009.

Instagram launched in October 2010. I was late to the game and got on this platform in May 2015 (based on the date of my very first photo on IG).

Snapchat crashed the party in September 2011. I dipped my toe in, getting on board in 2013.

At this point, Facebook remains the only platform of which I’ve been an early adopter. But my point is that Millennial’s largely matured on this and similar platforms. We’re somewhat used to the microscopic fame of our social media profiles. And it’s only been just over a decade.

Social media has defined the Millennial generation and created a black-swan effect that’s largely still being played out. Scroll through any 30-something’s feed of vacation selfies and you’ll see how susceptible we are to the comparison-syndrome trap which leads to feelings of inadequacy.  This year, Facebook hit its 2 billion monthly user mark.  That kind of size is a delicate balance “where it’s worth really taking a careful look at what are all the things that we can do to make social media the most positive force for good possible.” That was from Facebook Chief Product Officer, Chris Cox.

With great power comes great responsibility.

At this stage in our lives and careers, many Millennial’s are seeking social media and technology that makes life easier. Whether we’re single, have kids, or are newly married, we’re the generation that knows how and where to search to get things done. Millennial’s are the generation most receptive to online interactions with the largest purchasing power, acute search capability, and a general zest for sharing photos of our lives and the occasional bad brand experience. We’re our own filmmakers kicking off a live video to share something cool, funny or unique.

The good news is we still have the ability to choose which stories of our own and others to amplify. Even better, with heroes like Simon Sinek, Seth Godin, Amy Cuddy, and Brene Brown my suspicion is we’ll turn out to be a pretty good lot after all.

One can only hope 😉