I hate social media. There, I said it. I honestly do not understand the fascination between looking at or showing everyone every detail about your life. I don’t care about the pictures of your cat, I don’t care that you party every weekend, and I really don’t care that you’re backpacking through Europe for the next six months. Now, you may think I’m just being a negative person, but honestly, that’s not the case. I love cats, I love parties, and I would love to backpack across Europe for the next six months.
However, social media is turning us into people I really don’t think we want to be. Each and every day, people are constantly sharing, posting and tweeting. We’re becoming glued to computers, phones and tablets, always wanting to know what the people around us are doing. There are so many social media sites today, and honestly, I don’t think it’s worth the effort to try and keep up.
Facebook is hands-down the number one culprit of taking our attention and causing us to live vicariously through others. We become “friends” with people we don’t even know just so we can share pictures of our daily lives and like statuses that don’t even matter. It’s become a platform for people to judge and even be cruel to each other. I genuinely don’t think people would behave this way if they weren’t safely behind a keyboard.
Another very popular social media website. A nifty quality about Instagram that probably adds to the obsession is the ability to actually see into the lives of celebrities and other people. Honestly, you could go onto my Instagram and see about five pictures of my cat, but that was when I was trying to be on social media. I really don’t have the will to post daily. I really don’t know how people do it.
Snapchat
Since I’m pretty sure this form of social media was originally created to help send inappropriate pictures without the ability to keep them on your phone, I’m kind of glad that it has turned into something different. The first time I used Snapchat, I sent weird pictures of my face to my brother. That’s pretty much the extent of my use.
Maybe it’s just me, but I really have no desire to constantly tell people about my thoughts every day, especially with only 140 characters. Just like Instagram, many people love Twitter because they feel connected to their favorite celebrities. Do I have a Twitter? Yes. Do I remember the password? Not a chance. Another reason I'm glad I don't use Twitter is the fact that all TV shows now have hashtags during the program, so if I watch it late, I'm going to get a massive spoiler alert. I'm looking at you, ABC Family...
While I do think that social media is a great way to get news and stay connected with people, when are we as a whole going to draw the line? Social media shouldn’t be used to hurt other people, rant about your relationships or post pictures with captions saying, “I wish this was my life.” Go out there and make it your life.
Use social media to encourage each other, make real and actual plans with your friends. However, make sure when you’re with your friends and loved ones that you put down your phone. You don’t need to take a picture of that super awesome burrito or take 50 bathroom selfies. Just live in that moment and enjoy that burrito and enjoy being with your friends. Forget about the followers and forget about the likes because, at the end of the day, none of it really matters anyway.
