The number of social media sites and apps has skyrocketed in the last couple of years. Our society and social lives have come to focus around keeping up with what our friends are doing. We post pictures, statuses, comments, and various other updates that we hope other people will find attractive or entertaining. By checking Snapchat, Twitter, or Instagram we can find out almost everything that our friends are doing throughout their days.
Teenagers, and even some adults, are using technology and social media as a kind of crutch. It is keeping them from real interpersonal interactions and delaying them from developing social skills.
Many kids and teenagers who use phones and other social media constantly are now more nervous to talk in face to face conversations.
There are even anxiety disorders that originate from this overuse of technology in social interactions, one being Social Anxiety Disorder. The Atlantic describes it as "stress about a meeting that is still a week away, handwringing before talking to the cashier in the grocery line, worrying about seeing an acquaintance on the street—for people with social anxiety disorder, even the simplest task can prove challenging. The symptoms of social anxiety often set in around adolescence, when people place a new emphasis on social interactions and their place in their peer groups".
Now, I speak to everyone in my generation. Look up...
I believe it is important to document life and the important moments that you want to remember forever, but using social media as a crutch will be debilitating.
Not to sound cliché, but your relationships will improve if you take the time to put your phones down and really listen and respond to strangers, friends, and significant others.
Yes, take photos and talk to your friends and parents, but do not spend every waking moment living your social life through a computer or phone.
There are so many more chances to develop friendships and relationships with people when technology is not involved. Your social skills and ability to create conversation will improve.
Nowadays, it is customary to walk into a room and see every person in the room on their phones, not speaking to the others that they are physically around. Let's change that!
