Today's generation is obviously technologically savvy. With new versions of the iPhone coming out every few months, apps that allow us to do every task imaginable at the touch of your finger, and a constant desire to be updated with everything in the digital world, it's safe to say that our generation, and generations to come, are living in the digital age. That's all fine and well, but what happens when we start focusing too greatly on what's going on online instead of in real life?
Recently, I came across this image of a woman in a crowd simply enjoying the moment she's in, rather than the people around her who are doing everything they can to document what was going on. I understand that a picture is worth a thousand words, but sometimes it means more to keep those pictures to yourself and hold them as memories. Living in the moment allows you to fully experience something. It allows you to be completely aware of what's happening and appreciate it.
Personally, I am guilty of choosing to capture a moment on Snapchat or take a ton of pictures in hopes of having a shot that's Instagram worthy, but lately I have begun to step back and look at the bigger picture. Over the summer, I attended a concert with my younger sister and instead of attempting to take a multitude of videos of the band performing, I chose to take minimal pictures and videos and just enjoy the music I had waited so long to hear live. I can promise you that doing this made the concert 1,000 times better. I can't really explain the feeling I got when I looked over at my younger sister when our favorite band member hit a great note or said something silly over the microphone, but that feeling was so satisfying.
I say that the people of the digital age begin to take a stand. Instead of constantly checking Snapchat, Twitter, or Facebook to see what's going on, try to enjoy what is happening right then and there. The problem with our society is that we are all too busy trying to plan what's happening next. We're too concerned with how many likes we're going to get on our latest Instagram picture, rather than spending time with the people who were actually in the picture. And trust me, whatever's waiting for you online will be there when you're done. You don't have to check your phone every five seconds. It's time to take a cue from our elders, like the woman in the picture, and start living in the moment. It's time to spend quality time with those we are hanging out with, and it's time to actually enjoy it.
