In March, many of us entered self-isolation with deluded hopes about how we’d fill our days. I was determined to limit social media use, conscious of both the anxiety that logging on can exacerbate and the relative privilege of having untold amounts of free time.
But a couple of weeks in, longing for simple proof of the world beyond my Brooklyn apartment, I conceded. My lot, for now, is Instagram.
Soon I found joy in checking in on strangers’ pets and babies, and warmth in the generosity of mutual aid groups and communal fundraising efforts.