Social media is doomed...

Like many young people, I grew up with the internet. I've seen how social media platforms have evolved, shifted priorities, and changed the way we communicate with one another.

I have a lot of gratitude for what social media, especially Twitter, has enabled for me. I’ve made some of my closest friends and basically owe my entire career to these platforms.

However, I've also witnessed how algorithms and profit motives have fundamentally corrupted what once felt genuine. Remember when Instagram was purely about sharing moments with friends? Not a constant feed of reels, ads, and algorithmic content designed to maximise engagement and profit. The promise of connection has been replaced by endless scrolling, and genuine community has become secondary to shareholder value.

...to flourish in its current form

Last year, I downloaded an app called Retro. It was a simple photo-sharing app with no algorithms, ads, and no pursuit of viral content. Just authentic moments.

Every week, you start fresh with a clean feed to upload photos of your day-to-day life. It becomes a digital journal, shared with a curated circle of people you care about. At the end of the week, month, or year, you get a recap of the moments you've shared. It's intentional, intimate, and makes you realise you actually get up to a lot more things than you thought.

You’d think that with no algorithms you’d struggle to make new friends, but I’ve made some of the most genuine connections on Retro. Last year, I even got to meet some of them in Canada. The trip reinforced what I already knew: these people know me better than any Twitter mutual or Instagram follower ever could, because they’ve chosen to engage with the authentic version of me, not the one hand-picking the best photos for my public persona.

The social media giants will inevitably continue to grow as the world increasingly becomes online, but it’s nice to have a small corner of the internet where I can be myself and human connection thrives.