One’s usage of social media takes up a vast majority of one’s life; from the moment one wakes up until the moment one goes to sleep their phone, laptop, etc. is in one’s hands or pockets. Adults, teenagers, and children are guilty of this behavior — I know I am. It is a compulsion to check Facebook or Instagram to see how many likes one received on the post about their child’s first step. While social media started out as a way to stay in touch with distant friends and family, social media has transformed into a being all its own.

Social media is a status-based platform, designed to make one feel superior. Over a billion people use Facebook. A billion. This is not even a surprise, because it seems like everyone has a Facebook. One is so caught up in the ideology of having all of their friends and acquaintances believe that they have a perfect life. That is the real reason behind social media; it is a platform to show one’s status in regard to another. One doesn’t post a picture to Instagram because they think Kathy from accounting will like it — they post that picture hoping Kathy from accounting will see it and be envious of their trip to Paris.

One wakes up in the middle of the night, grabs their phone to check the time, and lies back down for another few hours. This has happened to everyone at some point. Maybe one can’t sleep, so they pass the time on Twitter — checks what is trending and what their favorite celebrity has been up to. It is a common occurrence, and that is what is so odd. Thirty years ago, that was not possible; if one had woken up in the middle of the night, they would have had to look at the actual clock. They would have had to either lie back down or maybe turn on the radio. It is astounding how different life is from thirty years ago; yes, they still cared about status, but it traveled slower and in different ways. Now everything is online — even our president and senators have Facebook.

The concept of one putting their location on a site for their friends to see seems harmless; that is until some unknown assailant arrives, and they put one’s life in danger. Social media is not a private pathway for only the people one allows — it is a dangerous predatory space anyone can enter into. Uploading a picture of one’s child is not safe, yet parents document on Facebook constantly. The Central Intelligence Agency has a Twitter and Twitter accounts are hacked daily. Anything has the potential to be hacked into these days because everything is on social media. Therefore, nothing one does is theirs alone; it is everyone’s and no one's all at once. The omniscience online is an integral piece to one’s lively hood in this day and age. No one is protected, and no one seems to be aware of the world changing around them. This — more than anything — is the reason social media impacts one so greatly.