From posting pictures to adding your location, you would think social media couldn’t think of any more ways to have us stalk each other. Well, they did! Not only can we post pictures of what we do, we can now post real-time live videos. So instead of enjoying a concert with the people you came with, people are “going live” to show all their followers how much fun they are having. Don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to bash people that enjoy this feature, but personally, I don’t understand it. I get the purpose of social media, I see the value of being able to network and connect with people globally. However, I don’t understand the value of posting your every move on social media platforms.

When I am enjoying myself with friends or taking in the excitement of a new location, I do just that. I value the time spent with the people around me, the laughter, the sense of adventure, not my cell phone. You can’t recreate a moment or capture all your emotions in one picture, because somewhere between posing for the flash of the camera or your live video, you lose something. Reality.

It seems to me our society is beginning to lose our grasp of reality. We have become so focused on showing our followers everything we do, that we are not taking the time to enjoy ourselves in the moment. We are so busy trying to connect with people through a screen we aren’t connecting with what’s around us. We don’t value what is real anymore, we value what we want others to view as real. Did you really drive a Lamborghini or did you just post a picture with it so people think you did? That is how simple our world has become. We depend on the opinion of others to the point where we are willing to create a façade of who we are just for views or likes.

Social media has steered us into a world where we want to be important. We want everyone to know what we are doing all the time and in reality, no one cares. No one cares that you went to a concert last week, or you work out all the time, or that you were at the beach today. We need to put less emphasis on displaying our life and more emphasis on enjoying our lives. Again, I am not saying to dread the next opportunity to be infront of a camera, but I am saying don’t live life behind a phone screen. Take in the world around you through your own senses not through people’s comments.

Live in the moments we are given and appreciate them, with or without the crowd. So, put your phone down and go live.