Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, Tinder. When was the last time you didn't think about these social media platforms? I'm not saying I am any different because believe me I care about my social media as much as every other teenage girl.
When you walk around the school, when was the last time you looked up from your phone? People use their phones as a scapegoat so that people don't see them or so that other people think they are "cool" for texting. Who knows what we would find or see if we weren't on our phones every second of the day. Maybe if you looked up, you would lock eyes with your best friend or your soulmate? Cliche isn't it? But it is the truth.
Since the iPhone has been released, we have been glued to our phones. Our grandparents now have iPhones when cell phones weren't invented until 1973. Imagine a world without a cell phone or social media? How would people see what we are doing or how would we stalk our enemies or friends?
You may think it would have been a tragedy when it was a much better world when people didn't care so much about their social media. Because you couldn't stalk others, there was no comparing yourself to other girls or boys. Because you couldn't use Tinder to swipe on boys you thought were hot or not, you had to explore the world and go outside to meet new people.
People used to look up into the world and live in the moment. If a girl asked you to hang out it was because they liked your personality, not how many Instagram followers you have. If a boy asked you on a date it was because they met you and liked you for who you are and not because of a couple pictures on a dating app.
Sure, it is easier to text your friends and ask them about the plans for the night, but this leads to seeing your friends hanging out without you on social media. Wouldn't it be easier to run into your friend on the street and then decide what you are doing for the night? There would be less drama and better friendships. More people would get along and be more inclusive. There is more bullying when people are judging you based on how good you look on social media.
I am the type of girl who needs to plan everything out and this causes me to stress and be mad at myself for forgetting something. What if there were no plans and everyone lived in the moment? Then no one would stress because nothing would be planned. We need to enjoy the little things in life.
The memories we make now are based off taking the perfect Instagram photo. If Instagram didn't exist then we wouldn't need to waste an hour of our day getting that perfect lighting, hair and pose. Instead, we would enjoy the day and that would be our memory as we capture it in our brains.
My mom remembers every story from what I call "the olden days". If we didn't have to worry about our social media, then we would keep these memories in our brain and remember them forever. There would be more to look back on and be thankful about. When I look back at my Instagram pictures, most of the time I just think oh wow that was perfect lighting, but I don't remember any stories. When I have children of my own, I want to remember every memorable moment like my mother and be able to share it, smiling with every word.
Don't you want a little privacy? I don't like people knowing what I am doing all the time. I love my alone time and my family time. We feel the need to impress others with our daily snaps or posts. I ignore Snapchats for long periods of time because I feel sad sending pictures of the television when others are spending their day hanging out with friends or exploring a new city. Therefore, I don't use Snapchat that much. I always feel the need to compare myself to other people. I don't want to know what my friends are doing anymore and that isn't right.
In a different world, no one would be able to compare themselves to other people. If only we looked up from our phones and looked at our generation. Soon enough there won't be people getting married or friendships lasting a lifetime because everyone will judge one another based on everything. The smallest things are stressful, and the littlest things bring the most grief in our lives.
I don't believe social media will ever completely disappear as it is now built into our everyday routines, but hopefully, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Everything happens for a reason and I think the world has a way of making sure that people will live in the moment and can live life without relying on social media.
