Social media is a wrinkle in associations and networking, allowing people from all over the world, who are also in the social cloud of the internet, to connect and share life as it goes. Social media has revolutionized communication and changed the way people express themselves and perceive each other.

Connecting is good, necessary, and healthy for human beings to cultivate growth in every respect. With the rise of accessibility, we are offered surges of constant information and stimulation. It can be exciting at times, discouraging in others, or just generally overwhelming.

Now a very wise uncle [Ben Parker from "Spider-Man"] once said, “With great power comes great responsibility."

“To know” and “to be known” through social media is like any power, and it will take a whole lot of responsibility to be able to maintain its worth and apply its use appropriately.

Do you think this and upcoming generations are over-utilizing social media--a conveniently accessible avenue of connection--and outgrowing its value? Am I alone in the feeling of electrocution from the overstimulation of this age's social media mania? Has social media changed for the worse the way we communicate and relate to friends, family, and strangers?

We need to be asking ourselves what it means for us to truly be known and to know another person. If social media is a tool we use to satisfy that innate desire, have we possibly become too wrapped up in the sensation of hyper-connection that we’ve become numb to traditional and raw methods? Have we become uncomfortably incompetent to the organic skills--the natural flows and sequencing of events--in experiencing and sharing human relations?

If you have an active social media presence and find yourself online obsessively attentive to your own or watching other people's social lives, you may need to take a break from social media. If you don’t know whether or not a break from social media could potentially help, ask yourself these questions:

• Am I constantly judging the value and potency of my life against the lives of those I see and perceive on social media?
• Do I find myself lusting for the attention of other people on social media, and do I need “likes,” “comments,” or more “followers” for validation? Do these factors affect my self-esteem and positive self-image?
• Do I need the extrinsic motivation to try new things with the intention to “post” or “share” what I do through social media?
• Do I share insecurities online instead of expressing myself to the people close to me? Do I express myself in the virtual world before I give the people in my physical life a chance to know me first and fully?
• Do I use social ambiguity to exploit internal frustration as a replacement for practicing self-reflection, patience, and prudence?
• Is social media the first thing I consult in the morning and the last thing I check before falling asleep?

If you’ve answered “yes” to all or some of these, a break from social media may be beneficial. By pulling yourself away from your own internet existence, you can force yourself to re-evaluate the meaning of knowing yourself and getting to know other people, deeply and free of preconceived opinions.

Don’t sell yourself short by exploited the beauty of your individuality and flattening your multi-layered persona onto a digital screen; don't sell other people short by judging and forming contaminated opinions before getting to know them first. You’ll find yourself becoming more attentive and appreciative of your life and the lives of others when you eliminate the pressure of maintaining a virtual personality.

Erasing social media from your life is a transformation, and all of a sudden the act of getting to know someone and letting yourself be known becomes an art form. Even after a short hiatus from social media, you can see the difference. If you like it, keep the difference.