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TORONTO — Pop musician Sara Quin says social media has “tragically torn the world to shreds” in recent years, and it’s time people consider ways to reestablish a more positive sense of community.
The Calgary-raised performer, who’s part of the duo Tegan and Sara, says she’s certain some have found “beautiful connection online” but fears it’s done more to “ruin the world” and exacerbate political divisions.
She blamed that, in part, on social media tech titans such as Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.
“I wish that we would just unplug it, or send it to Mars with Elon and Mark and all those guys,” she said during a fireside chat Wednesday at Departure Festival.
“Go do social media up on another planet, or whatever … like, leave us alone.”
Quin was joined by her twin sister Tegan for a conversation moderated by Canadian musician and writer Vivek Shraya that focused on the Tegan and Sara Foundation, which they created in 2016 after the election of U.S. President Donald Trump. Shraya is a member of the foundation’s board.
The organization offers an array of financial support to grassroots and community-based groups. They say its efforts have funded everything from bus passes for community outreach to helping build an LGBTQ+ health-care directory.
The foundation also sponsors kids to attend gay summer camps, which Tegan described as a foundational experience for many of them because they get to interact with adults from the LGBTQ+ community.
“Even in this day and age, there’s still so little representation for us LGBTQ people, in the mainstream, that a lot of young people don’t know what their future looks like,” she said.
“And it’s really inspiring for these kids to go to summer camp and see people like them in adult positions who are thriving and have relationships and have cool jobs.”
The “Everything is Awesome” sisters say they’re committed to backing initiatives that help build stronger LGBTQ+ communities, something that’s become even more important to them in their mid-40s.
Tegan shared that she is five months into a self-imposed yearlong social media detox.
“I can’t even tell you how fundamentally different I feel,” she said.
“It’s changed every element of my life, from the way I connect to friends to the way I connect with media.”
Tegan noted she’s spent less time shopping online and feels an increased sense of self-confidence with her phone no longer buzzing with notifications.
“It’s been really wonderful to get off-line and to connect in real life,” she added.
As they spoke about community, Sara acknowledged she’s abandoned an opinion she once held that it was better to “silence, shun or push out” people who didn’t agree with her views.
“Not only does it not work; it’s just so isolating and lonely,” she said.
“We have got to be willing to listen to each other, make space for ideas and opinions that don’t line up with ours, and figure out if there’s a consensus,” she said.
“I just want to see people be civil with each other,” she added.
“I don’t want to see politicians dismissing, chastising and brutalizing each other for fun, likes (or) bits on the internet. I just want to see people be kinder.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2025.
David Friend, The Canadian Press
