I can remember the day I finally convinced my mom to let me make a Facebook page. Since then, I have dabbled in almost every form of social media.

Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, Tumblr.

You name it and I probably have it.

The expansion of the Internet has drastically changed our culture, and in most ways, the impact has been positive.

However, looking around at my friends and examining my own life, I can’t help but notice the barriers that social media has created. Isn’t it ironic that the very thing that was created to expand and encourage better communication has been the very thing that has stunted the growth of true community?

Here are five reasons I sort of hate social media.

1. It discourages the display of emotion during in-person encounters.

Whenever something tragic happens to someone, people flock to social media to express their support. They “like” a prayer page or post a heartfelt status message. What I find interesting is that the same person who can show support hiding behind a computer screen would never once show support if they passed the person in a Walmart aisle or saw them three pews in front of them at church. You can not hear tone, see facial expressions, or feel the assuring touch of a friend through a wall post or tweet. Our online interactions are devoid of emotion and completely meaningless. How many times have you typed "haha" or "LOL" and not even been laughing? It's all fake. Consequently, in-person encounters have become awkward. So, when we're talking to someone in person, we don't know how carry on conversation because we're used to having as much time as we want to type out our responses. We're no longer comfortable with showing real, raw emotion in front of others and social media has provided an outlet for us to be emotional while remaining hidden.

2. Social media encourages bullying and cowardice.

I'll tell you, people are mean these days and I think social media plays a key role. Social media has given people license to feel free to say anything they want because their identity is no more than their profile picture. Celebrities probably fall victim to these Internet trolls more than anyone, but I’ve seen it between friends, too. People go online just to tear others apart, but they would never say anything so hateful face-to-face. Apparently, any insult goes when you’re just another Facebook member. Social media has made cowards out of people. I believe the rule, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all," still stands in the World Wide Web.

3. Social media spreads false information and makes people misinformed.

My favorite thing to watch is when there's a big news break and all the satire news sites start writing obviously comedic articles about the story with skewed facts. Then, people share them thinking they’re legit. A Wordpress blog page is not factual. Neither is a page for just conservatives or just liberals. They are biased and will post anything to further their agenda, true or not. If a reputable news site hasn't published it, it is complete malarkey. Social media has become infected with this garbage and, unfortunately, many are gullible enough to eat up every word. We've become misinformed, which affects how we few others, the decisions we make, and overall, gives us an image of ignorance.

4. Social media lowers productivity.

I’m pretty sure if we could all know how much time we spend staring at a screen, scrolling through our news feeds, we would be disgusted with ourselves. Social media is like a black hole that sucks you in with its pointless video loops, political debates, and the hundreds of vacation pictures that you don’t actually care about (but you look at anyway). Next thing you know you’ve been looking at it for an hour and you’ve accomplished nothing and you’ve gained nothing.

5. Social media is full of negativity.

There have been several occasions where I’ve gone without Internet access for a week and those were the best weeks of my life. I don’t think most of us realize it, but the Internet drags us down. Yeah, there’s the occasional sweet video or the happy posts from your close friends about engagements, babies, or weddings, but for the most part social media sites are battle zones. Facebook is basically a pot full of drama and since most people don’t understand the meaning of a filter, they post everything they think of. A friend once said, "You know, when Facebook asks, 'What's on your mind?', you should ignore it." Between all the crazy things happening in our world, to all the people who feel the need to give their two cents on everything that's happening in our world, social media leaves me exhausted. I just need some peace sometimes and I can't seem to find it on my news feed.

What are your thoughts on social media? Has it added more positivity or negativity to your life?