Too many times I find myself absorbed in the array of photos in my camera roll. All which consist of the 50 selfies from that time I was feelin' myself, photos from a night out, occasional food shots, and more importantly, the infinite pictures of my dogs. If you're reading this and you're anything like me, then you know a place to store all your pictures has become a necessity.
Let me introduce you to today's world, where society has grown so accustomed to the luxury of the technologies we've been given. Making it so easy for us to simply take out our phones and snap a quick pic while storing thousands of photos along the way. As convenient as this is, there's a chance we can get too caught up in our social media image instead of the world around us.
This struck me firsthand as I eagerly awaited seeing my favorite artist. I sat there patiently waiting out the opening act amongst a crowd of thousands. Then finally, the main event began. But I was too busy unlocking my phone that I missed the grand entry. All for what? To record a shaky video with an inaudible blaring noise in the background that'll sit buried deep within my camera roll since it's too pathetic for social media.
I tried to create these "moments" while forgetting where to find real ones.
Rewind to the days of the authentic old school cameras, where moments were cherished as we captured them. There wasn't an option for filters or any pressure to upload these pictures anywhere. They were raw, candid and perfect — only ours to admire. We didn't have the luxury like today, as we click over 20 plus pictures a minute and yet still aren't satisfied. It's true we've been given the opportunity to capture every moment. Still, we stay stuck in a digital world that tries to live a better life than we actually have.
But as we face reality, who doesn't love a great picture? I've learned to take a step back and at least take in what the day has to offer before my own eyes. There's significance in putting your phone down once in a while and looking at a view that isn't blocked by a screen. We only have one chance at life, so don't waste it living through the platform you've built for yourself on social media. The world we live in is real and the raw sight of life is an amazing view.
I Limited My Social Media Usage And I Challenge You To, Too
My worth is not defined by the amount of likes I get.
Every morning at 8 a.m., my alarm goes off, I roll over, and the first thing I do is check my Snapchat only to open a bunch of pictures of the top of someone's head, or the wall, or — my favorite — a black screen. This is something we're all guilty of, myself included. We all know that social media is becoming an addiction amongst us, so why do we still use them in an unhealthy way? Why are our friendships defined by who has the longest streak? Why are our perceptions of others based on the most perfectly posed presentations of people? Why is our self-worth dependent on the number of double taps or shares or comments?
My world used to revolve around social media.
Every time I posted a picture on Instagram, I would constantly refresh to see how many likes I had accumulated. The worst part about that is I would get upset if I didn't get any likes in the seconds between each refresh.
If I got bored or had some downtime between classes, I would spend hours just scrolling through the same posts, hoping to find something different.
So much of my life was wrapped up in the superficiality of social media posts to the point where I no longer knew who I was. I would see pictures of my friends who ended up at the same college and feel left out, I would see girls from high school joining sororities, I would see people looking so stunning and having so much fun, and I let that be the thing that influenced how I felt.
Social media consumed me. It made me forget all the wonderful things I have in my life. It made me value a photo opportunity more than just enjoying the moment for what it is. Let me tell you that a moment is no less valuable just because it isn't visually appealing.
I've recently started using the Screen Time feature on my iPhone. I set a two hour per day limit on my social media usage, and when that time is up, I can no longer open the apps. Since then, I've been spending more time face-to-face with the people I care about. I've reconnected with old hobbies. I feel less stressed. I stopped comparing myself to others. I learned to be happy with myself.
I limit my social media usage because all the time I've spent aimlessly scrolling through Instagram is time I could've spent going for a walk and enjoying the warmth of Spring.
I limit my social media usage because I value face-to-face interaction. I value hugs and laughter and all the other things you can't get from a screen.
I limit my social media usage because it hurts my feelings when other people are on their phones when I'm trying to talk to them so how can it be right that I do that to someone else?
I think about how dependent on social media we have become, and it makes me so grateful that the sun is too bright to see our phone screens outside and that the mountains raise too high to have good cell service. I'm grateful that my friends make me laugh so hard that I don't even think to check my phone.
So, I challenge you to separate yourself from your social media. Even if it's just for a day. See how your life changes.
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