I am not declaring this as a definitive statement or saying this free from hypocrisy. I am aware that I am somewhat guilty of the faults I will be discussing. However, that does not discredit their validity or erase their truth. Coming from a 20-year-old girl who grew up in a physical and an electronic world, the social media sphere is all-encompassing and inescapable.

The most common complaint regarding social media is the effect it has on body-image and self-esteem. While yes, this is harmful, detrimental, and apparent, I believe the plague has a depth more profound and an effect past looks. People are entirely engulfed in another world that is fake. People are living their actual lives for a fabricated one, leaving them unfulfilled and confused about who they truly are and want to be.

We live our entire lives for a facade of what we want others to see. It's all a competition, a testament that we are "living our best lives" and "thriving." That we have more friends and are seeing more places and are doing better things than everyone else. We delete images that we like when we don't get "enough" likes and we post photos or updates for other people. We are quite literally living for other people to judge through their feed.

It is sickening. There is a world far beyond the four-inch screen that fits in our hand. The world is vast and life is short. Who cares what you post or what other people think of your life. If you are fulfilled with your life first, no one can take that away from you no matter how many likes you get or who views your story.

Life is so much more. The physical will satisfy far beyond the capacity of the electronic. It's a trap and everyone is falling victim to it. Don't.

When you start to live your life for yourself and regain control over your reality, then you will rid yourself of this desire for validation through an app or social networking scene.