By now, if you are unfamiliar with what “social media” is, then you either are like 150 years old or you just quite literally live under a rock. Social media has most definitely had an influence over our society for over the past decade, at least. Not only do businesses use it to expand but also as a hobby it has become an addiction among the adolescents in this society. Social media is a great tool for business because it’s a free method of advertising and businesses can get their word out almost effortlessly and it’ll be seen by millions of others who are also involved with the particular medium. On the other hand, it has become evident that many others have just become plain addicted to this and not always for the healthiest reasons.

Here are some reasons why I have a love/ hate relationship with social media:

1. Stunting for your followers

Yes, finally! You scored a great deal on that new coach purse or those Yeezys (that’s how you spell that, right?) so you post on your social media. By the way, the best places for the best prices are most definitely outlet malls! You’d be surprised when you see all the discounted prices. Finding good deals is great but if you’re always posting all these things, where is that getting you? If you’re posting it because you want to show your followers that you can afford more than them or that you’re better than them then you may want to reconsider why you’re really posting those pictures. Don’t build up a life on Instagram that you don’t have. It has become a trend that people aspire to have the perfect Instagram life and it’s merely a façade that they want to give off. We all have great lives, ups and downs, enjoy every aspect of it!

2. Dinner time at the table

Has it become more common that when we eat with family or with friends we check our phones at least three times? As soon as we hear the buzz or the beep we generally don’t hesitate to check to see what the supposed important notification is. By checking our phones this often, yes we may find some good memes to show our friends and have a good laugh at, but what about just setting the phones aside and enjoying each other’s presence? I remember going out with my family and noticing this couple that were just on their phones the entire time, I kid you not. Best case scenario maybe they were both playing words with friends or something but even if they were, it really saddens me because enjoying someone’s presence is such a great thing! We are humans, it’s basically our nature. Whether with friends or with family it’s great to make the effort to put the phone away for a bit, not only will you make more memorable memories and you’ll be showing respect but you’ll probably learn more about the person too.

3. What ever happened to face to face conversation?

Where did the days go where you call up your friend and ask them to go out for some coffee or for a nice walk around the park? Instead, we have been more inclined to just send our friends a “snap” of that venti peppermint mocha drink that we got from Starbucks (guilty…but let’s be honest, its heaven). Or we crave to get that artsy picture where the lighting is just right so we can post it on Instagram to show off where we were. Don’t get me wrong, I do the same because who doesn’t want a really good picture to be able to look back on? But are we really taking the time to enjoy these moments? Or are we just snapping the picture and moving on with our life?

Speaking from experience, I can say for myself that I sometimes find myself guilty of these things but by realizing it, I am one step closer to stopping it. As a final note, it’s always nice to jut stop and smell the flowers and contrary to popular belief your followers will be fine if you don’t update them about it, just enjoy the moment!