We live in a society where social media is everything. At least once a day I hear someone say something like "oh did you see her snap story?" or "did you see what Steve put on twitter?" We have created a world where people can even build a career purely because they're "instagram famous," "vine famous," (yes I know Vine "died") and everything in between. People use social media to do a number of things and that can be anywhere from passing time to hurting others or spreading false rumors. It starts with one post until it's spread over and over and then everyones talking about it. Enough is enough and I for one am done. It is not worth it.

I can't count the number of times I got hurt feelings because an instagram post didn't get over 50 likes or someone posted a story of them hanging out with my friends and I was hurt that I wasn't invited. It's ridiculous that these are the things that are upsetting to me. I have always envied my mom and dad for getting to go to high school in the 80s, the 80s just looks so fun. You know what they didn't have in the 80s? Social media.

The way I see it social media hurts more than it helps. I've never been one to care about what others thought of me because I've always felt that if I'm happy in my own skin nothing else matters. I love that about myself and I can feel social media taking it away from me so I've decided to quit social media before I lose myself in a web of lies.

The fact that a 20 year old college student is quitting social media is a shock I'm sure but I tend to view the world a little differently than most people. The way I see it, this is the greatest decision I've ever made. Instead of taking the perfect picture for snapchat or instagram, I can live in that moment. Instead of reading into the rumors people are spreading or passing time on facebook or twitte,r I can go do something useful or do something healthy that I enjoy like running or painting. Instead of getting to know someone based on what they post on twitter or better yet what others post about them on twitter, I can go out there and hope my paths cross theirs and build my own opinions. Instead of staring at a screen, I can live.

None of this matters. When I pass on I want to leave a legacy of light, love, and hope. I want people to come to my funeral and say they thought I was a beautiful person, not because I posted a good picture on instagram but because I made a personal impact in their life. When we die I promise you no one will show up to our funerals and say anything about social media, our twitter followers, facebook friends, and instagram likes those do not matter after we die. You get out of this world what you put into it and I think I can spread more good in real life then I ever could via social media.

After this article posts, you will not find me on twitter, instagram, facebook, or even snapchat. I encourage people to join me but understand I'm asking alot. I think our world could be so much better if we stopped posting our whole lives to the internet, if we started making real and deep connections. Thank you for the love you all have shared to my social media pages, thank you for all the cat videos, the kind comments, and the messages that started great friendships and relationships but I have to let go. My favorite celebrity, Kylie Jenner, would be ashamed I know (I think I'll miss her snapchat the most) but I think we've turned social media into too big of a monster for it to be tamed. I love you all and I appreciate all of you for reading my articles and sharing them. In the wise words of my greatest idol, Marilyn Monroe, I leave with my favorite quote “When it comes down to it, I let them think what they want. If they care enough to bother with what I do, then I’m already better than them.”