Park City is the kind of place people move to when they want a real life. Not a virtual one. We have mountains, trails, snow, small neighborhoods, and a pace of life that lets people breathe. You can look out your window and see something beautiful without having to perform it for anyone.
But even here, something has shifted. People feel pressure to not just live their lives but to display them. It shows up in small ways. The perfect ski photo. The family picture that took 20 tries. The workout snapshot. The vacation highlight reel. None of this is wrong by itself. The problem is when the performance becomes the point and the experience becomes the background.
Park City has always had high achievers. Athletes. Outdoors people. Driven professionals. Parents who push hard for their kids. That can be healthy. But it can also turn into quiet comparison. Someone else skis more. Someone else looks more fit. Someone else travels more.
Someone else seems to live the “perfect Park City life.” And if you are not posting constantly, it can start to feel like you’re not even participating.
Even adults feel this. Kids feel it 10 times more. Park City teens are not just comparing themselves to people in their school anymore. They are comparing themselves to millions of strangers. No matter how well they ski, look, or perform, there is always someone online who seems better, happier or more successful. It creates pressure that can follow them into every part of their lives.
None of this means social media is the enemy. It connects people. It helps local businesses. It keeps us informed.
But we should not pretend it doesn’t shape how we see ourselves. The more time we spend performing our lives, the less time we spend actually living them.
Park City has something most places do not. We have a community that encourages people to be outside, to show up for neighbors, to volunteer, to help, to slow down, to connect face to face. These are the parts of life that do not need an audience. These are the parts that make life here meaningful.
We do not need to get rid of social media. We just need to put it back in its place. A tool. Not a scoreboard. A way to share. Not a way to measure worth.
Park City is at its best when people are present, not performing. If we remember that, we can keep this place grounded in what makes it special: real experiences, real community, and real life off the screen.
Jay Werther
Park City