"Oh my gosh, do that again I didn't get it on Snapchat!"
"Can I Tweet that?"
"Haley, did you see what she posted about you?"
"My picture only got 200 likes."
If you're anything like me, you've probably heard those phrases before, or even said them yourself. It's no secret that our society is driven by technology and social networking to an extreme degree. Social networks have decided that we as individuals need to feel validated by who likes our pictures, who slides into our DM's, and how many followers we have on Instagram.
Trust me, I am so guilty of over-using social media and obsessing over things that shouldn't matter, such as the amount of likes, number of followers, and which filter will make me look the best. But have you ever thought about what life would be like if we didn't obsess over the little things that didn't matter? What if we chose to truly live in the moment and enjoy those around us and the situations that come and go ever so quickly?
I can guarantee you, life would be much, much happier.
Maybe, we would actually know who won the football game as opposed to having 50 blurry pictures of us and our friends. Maybe we wouldn't rush to open Snapchat right away when someone is doing something funny, and we would just laugh with everyone around us. Maybe, we would actually live happier lives.
Social media has the power to make people feel badly about themselves due to the constant comparisons that are made between one person and another. Oh, you got a used car that you were thrilled about? That's nice, because Katie just got a brand new 2016 Jeep signed by Kanye West himself (okay maybe not THAT extreme, but you get the point). But you will never truly feel confident about yourself and the life you're living if you constantly compare yourself to others.
I'm not saying we all need to rush to delete our social network pages, because they can be great assets to our lives, allowing us to connect with those we maybe don't see as frequently as we would like to. Through them, we can connect with family members that live across the country, or even across the state. They allow us to share photos and moments with our friends if they missed out on it for whatever reason.
What I am saying, though, is to limit the amount of time spent on social media, and key into the time with people that you love spending real, personal time with. Take the time to really absorb what the people in your life have to give you, and what you have to give to them in return. Take a moment (or more) to take in all of the wonderful things this life has to offer. By doing so, you may just find yourself happier, more confident, and more sociable than you ever thought possible.
