It consumes us. It dictates our every move. It constantly places us somewhere other than where we are and who we are with right now. Social media is a disease that seems to have infected our entire generation and the subsequent generations. It causes us to do things and say things that we normally never would. We have to get that "perfect" and "artsy" picture to post on Instagram and if we don't post what we're doing on our Snapchat story, did it even really happen? On the surface, this may not seem like a serious problem; if kids choose to take pictures of themselves and tell everyone about what they're doing, that's their business. However, the underlying problem of this addiction is much more disturbing.

The majority of kids these days who are involved with social media are no longer doing things because they like them, but instead, they are doing them just to tell everyone that they did them and to get people to "like" their posts.

Our generation is so lacking in self-confidence and self-esteem that the vicious cycle of social media ensues. Kids begin feeling a lack of self-confidence and self-esteem, so they turn to social media to fill the void and make them feel liked and appreciated. However, a few hours after posting something when people have stopped liking it, they are back in the same place of sadness and lack of confidence. This leads kids to tailor what they post (even down to the exact time of posting) in order to get the most likes. I've received text messages countless times from people telling me to like and comment on their pictures. Kids are proud of getting a lot of likes like they should be proud of an awesome grade they got on a test or a new leadership position in school. This is so saddening. A lot of our generation has forgotten how to enjoy life. They behave as though anything they can't post about is not something worth doing.

Please, begin the change. Learn to love yourself so that you don't have to seek approval and "likes" from others (most of whom you probably don't even know). Enjoy every moment that you're in and know that it's OK if you don't catch it on camera because our memory exists for a reason. Start doing things because you want to do them, not because you think other people would like to see you do them. If you do feel the need to share a lot, share things that are meaningful to you, like information about a charity that is close to your heart or a funny animal video that will make other people smile. Share what makes you happy and enjoy your life because at the end of the day, no matter how "cool" your life seems on social media, the most important aspects of your life are not to be determined by anyone but yourself.