Social media is as important as oxygen to most millennials, making it easy to forget that previous generations got on just fine without it. And you know who else managed OK without Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.? Pretty much every movie character, ever. Social media tends to be selectively included in movies, because it just really isn't that interesting to watch somebody scroll through their IG feed for half an hour. So unless the use of social media somehow advances the narrative, it often isn't as prevalent in movies as it is in real life. A great example of this is the movie Bridesmaids, which came out in 2011 when sites like Facebook were already established (and many others were on the rise), yet weren't mentioned once in the movie. This was probably a good thing, given that there are so many ways that social media would totally ruin Bridesmaids.
Think about it: if Annie had been as addicted to her phone as many modern gals are, the movie would've been a lot more discreet stalking and a lot less hilarious action. In fact, I'd argue that the existence of social media in Annie's world would have altered, if not abolished, many of the best scenes from the Bridesmaids. Here are some examples of how social media could have totally changed the movie as we know it.
1. Annie's "Relationship" With Ted
Maybe Annie would have been able to more clearly see how much of a jerk Ted was if she found him on Tinder. I mean, you know that dude would have a shirtless beach photo next to a tiger photo, with the description "just looking to have some fun."
2. Annie Meeting Helen
When Helen floats into Lillian's engagement party, the audience is supposed to believe that it's Annie's first introduction to the woman encroaching on her best friend territory. If Lillian had Instagram, her many experiences with Helen ("remember that trip we took to Miami with the boys and they were working the entire weekend and we just sat and drank wine and eat peanut brittle?") would've already been clearly documented, and Annie's jealousy would have been well-established by the start of the movie.
3. The Brazilian Restaurant
The entire food poisoning scene in the bridal shop would never have happened if Annie had read some Yelp recommendations prior to picking the restaurant they went to beforehand. The character was supposedly good at finding good lunch spots, so if she had read some of her Elite friends' reviews she probably would have known to steer clear of this place.
4. The Cupcake Scene
There's a sweet scene in the movie where Annie, mourning the loss of her bakery and her relationship, bakes and intricately decorates a single cupcake as "Paper Bag" by Fiona Apple plays over. If social media existed in the movie, Annie's grief would instead have taken the form of falling down a Facebook rabbit hole looking at all the tagged photos of her and her ex.
5. Annie's Diary
If Annie had a Tumblr instead of a physical diary, her roommate Brynn (played perfectly by Rebel Wilson) would never have had the chance to mistake her journal for a "sad, handwritten book."
6. The Phone Call To Lillian
After freaking out at Officer Rhodes' attempt to get her to bake again, Annie leaves Lillian a voicemail castigating herself for not being able to deal with a guy being nice to her. IRL, Annie's monologue totally would've been an embarrassing Twitter rant instead.
7. The Bridal Shower
If Helen had Pinterest, Annie could have looked at her "Bridal Shower" board and figured out that Helen was about to steal her idea for a Parisian-themed party. Unfortunately, this would likely eliminate the hilarious scene of Annie freaking out at the shower and trying to overturn the chocolate fountain.
8. The Apology to Officer Rhodes
Instead of baking Officer Rhodes a cake to apologize for being shady, Annie would have sent him a series of pouty Snaps saying "sorry:(". There would have been no cake for the raccoon on Rhodes' porch to consume.
9. Megan's Visit To Annie
When Megan showed up at Annie's house, instead of giving her a pep talk, she could have just taken Annie's phone and refused to give it back until her friend got it together. There's nothing like being deprived of your newsfeed to motivate a person into getting out of a funk.
10. Lillian Going Missing
Instead of enlisting Officer Rhodes' help to find Lillian, Annie could've just used Find My iPhone to figure out that Lillian was in her apartment. Or, Helen could have just done this on her own, which would take away the opportunity for her bonding moment with Annie in the car.
11. The Wedding
Instead of opting for the wedding backdrop of light-up hearts saying "They Do!" and "Lillian & Douglas," Lillian could have just created a "LillianAndDougSayIDo" hashtag ahead of time. Naturally, she would also have made multiple announcements throughout the movie reminding everyone to use the hashtag at every wedding-related event.
As you can see, the movie would've been totally different — or maybe even nonexistent — if the characters had access to all the social media of the 21st century. And then you wouldn't be able to excessively use all the quotes from Bridesmaids in your day-to-day life. So be glad that things turned out as they did, and enjoy the social media-free world of Bridesmaids.
Images: Universal, Giphy (11)
