On Tuesday, there was a brief outage on several social media platforms owned by Meta, including Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and Messenger. While this might seem like a mundane event, the widespread attention given to the outage suggests a deeper significance. Social media platforms have become more than just entertainment; they serve as modern-day mediums for storytelling and connection.

According to Evynn McFalls, vice president of marketing and brand at the NeuroLeadership Institute, storytelling is a fundamental way for humans to connect with one another. Jonathan Gottschall, author of "The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human," emphasizes that humans are inherently drawn to stories. Social media has become a community where stories are shared through various forms of media, allowing people to connect, empathize, and make sense of the world.

Samuel Woolley, an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Austin, highlights the importance of social media as a communication tool in today's society. When disruptions like the recent outage occur, it can impact the flow of information and storytelling, especially during critical moments like elections.

For many individuals, social media is not just a platform for entertainment; it is a space where their stories and connections are stored. When faced with the possibility of losing access to these platforms, people like Taylor Cole Miller, an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, experience a sense of panic and loss. Melanie Green, a professor at the University of Buffalo, explains that stories help fulfill humans' need for belonging and connection, which is amplified through social media platforms.

The recent outage serves as a reminder of the significance of social media in our lives, not just as a source of entertainment, but as a vital tool for communication, storytelling, and connection in the digital age.