Recently, I have noticed that my generation is really good at documenting every moment of our lives. With the increasing popularity of Snapchat and Twitter, it has become very easy to take and post a photo to update followers on our daily doings. The problem with this is that we tend to focus more on how many have seen our posts and/or liked them, rather than actually enjoying the present moment. Taking pictures and videos as memoirs of events isn’t bad in and of itself, it becomes a problem when we are too concerned with taking these pictures and videos rather than being with the people around us.
One of the best examples of this obsession with documenting events rather than attending them is Snapchat videos of concerts. We’ve all done it, myself included. We want to share with the whole world that we are at a concert and we are having the time of our lives, so we record and post every. Single. Song. But, what happens after the show is over? You’ve actually attended a concert through a tiny screen, even though the artist is right in front of you, and missed out on enjoying it for face value. Not to mention your low quality, ten second videos probably missed a lot of what was happening around you. You’ve also missed the opportunity to bond with the people you came with and your storage is probably full now. Is it worth it?
As a general statement, our culture now thrives on constant communication with the rest of the world. Most social media accounts now are based off an assumption that people are going to use it for present moment updates for the account holder’s followers. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to be able to see how some old friends are doing and I am thankful to have the technology, but I think that we need to stress importance on unplugging as well. Too often, we get consumed with documenting events instead of being at the event. Then, we don’t have memories to look back on, just old photos without a story behind them. We have to enjoy the present moment and be present with the people around us because things will change so quickly. Being able to remember the time you spent with someone is more valuable than just a picture.
The best way to remember moments is to have those certain pictures and the story that goes along with it. But in order to do so, we have to be present in that moment and participate in the events happening around us, instead of the ones happening on social media. Things will change in a blink of an eye. Even for me, it feels like only two weeks ago I was starting high school, but now I am on track to graduate a semester early and am looking into what to do after I graduate college. I have made so many friends and memories in college and I am thankful to be able to look back on them. I have taken some really cute pictures at my sorority events with my sisters, but remembering the actual event and what happened that day is more sentimental in my opinion.
I challenge you to try to start attending events, not just documenting them. Take a few pictures of the scenery and with the people you go with, but really try to live in the moment. Take everything in. Be in the present with those around you. Avoid social media for the time being and be a part of the things happening around you. There is so much that we miss when we are glued to our social media and we can start taking in these things when we try to better participate in the present time.