This past weekend, I attended a concert with one of my best friends. My friend and I were super excited to see one of our favorite bands, and it was not a let down! There were guitar solos, drum solos, confetti, and basically a full-on laser show. The concert was an amazing experience and it is one I won't forget but, I couldn't help but notice something about the rest of the crowd. Everywhere I looked I saw people watching the show through their phones and cameras. Now, I am definitely one to take pictures at a concert, but it seemed like the majority of the crowd was preoccupied with their phones. To me, this is a waste. An absolute waste. It led me to ask the question, are we experiencing things for ourselves, or are we experiencing things for social media?

Now, I think it is pretty safe to say that most of the people who were taking pictures had intentions of sharing them on Instagram and Twitter, or adding them to their Snapchat story. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with sharing cool things with the world, but if that is the only thing on your mind during the show then you're doing it wrong. You shouldn't go to a concert and think "I need to get a cool picture so people know I was here" or "I need to post about how amazing the night was so people know I had fun." You should go to a concert and just be there. Don't worry about anything or anyone else.

I think we've become this generation that is consumed with sharing every detail of our lives and making sure everyone else thinks we are living a cool life, but it shouldn't matter what other people think of your experiences. It's yourexperience. If you are taking a picture or a video, do it for you,not for the Instagram likes or the "I'm so jealous! Wish I was there!" comments. Put your phone away and immerse yourself in the experience. Share it with your friends and the people around you. They are all experiencing the same thing. And years from now when all people have are their pictures, you'll have your memories. You'll remember the smiles on everyone's faces, the way your favorite musicians looked when they performed and the way the arena looked when everyone was singing along. But most important, you'll remember the way you felt hearing your favorite song being played live for the first time.

Living life behind a screen kind of gives you this tunnel vision. It only allows you to see what is right in front you (or the camera). Am I saying you should never take pictures? No, take pictures because you'll want them in the future. I am also guilty of taking a picture just to post it, but I make sure I am also enjoying myself. Remember, there is a whole other world going on outside of your camera. That is the experience. If you miss out on that, there is no going back.