Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to say that I haven’t spent countless hours scrolling through pictures of a party I wasn’t invited to, or the selfies of a girl I barely know. It can be something to do if I want to waste time, but I feel that it has truly taken over, in more aspects than one.

1. It gives me Insomnia.

I tend to check my Facebook, email, Instagram and Snapchat at least three or four times before I go to bed. And by three or more times, I mean sitting in bed for hours until I finally fall asleep. Now that it has become a routine, I have trouble falling asleep any time before midnight or one in the morning. This can be especially difficult if I need to get up early. I never feel fully rested.

2. It makes me lazy.

When I should be doing my extra credit for Chem, or spending time with my family, I’d rather be laying in bed, staring at my phone. I have no motivation to do anything productive, whatsoever. Instead of coming home and reading a book to unwind, I’d rather be stalking someone else’s profile online, instead of absorbing myself in a good book and actually learning something.

3. I've become introverted.

I’ve always had introverted tendencies, that I will admit. But the fact that I would much rather stay home and text instead of going out and spending time with people is outrageous. Even when I finally get to see someone I haven’t spent time with in ages, there’s a disconnect. We’re so used to texting that it’s almost awkward to construct a meaningful conversation without spending five minutes to type it out and auto-correct it. I mean, seriously?

4. I started to judge everyone I meet. (Even when I don't mean to.)

The whole idea of social media is to show people how much you like or dislike the things they share online. But how far is too far? We’ve taken this superficial platform and applied it to real life situations, and that’s where we come into problems. Not everything said over a computer is acceptable to say to someone’s face, just saying. Sometimes there needs to be a little restriction.

5. People don’t know how to treat one another anymore.

Gone are the days of asking someone out to coffee to get to know them better, or sitting at a park just to talk about the day. It’s much more convenient to do it over iMessage or even Facetime. The lack of face-to-face connection is causing silly arguments and drawbacks in relationships.

6. I compare myself to everyone else.

After constantly seeing pictures of a girl with tons of makeup on, curled eyelashes, straightened hair, and a photoshopped body, I feel pressured to meet this unrealistic expectation of perfection. Social media causes insecurities about myself that I didn’t even know existed. People feel that we have to conform to the latest makeup trends or hairstyles to be accepted.

7. I feel rejected.

Once all of the emotions of the past reasons are combined, it leaves me with a terrible self-esteem issue and lack of love from myself as well as my community.

Most adolescents, as well as adults, are forming a society online that is the polar opposite of reality. Most strive to impress, rather than share their accomplishments in an unbiased fashion without seeking approval. There are plenty of ways in which one can spread positivity and light rather than putting others down in the comfort of our own home. Bullying and suicide rates are at an all time high because of cyber bullying. It's time to disconnect from technology and get to know ourselves and the world around us from a new perspective.