When I was in 8th grade, my mom let me get a Facebook. I raced to get 100 friends in one week and was instantly addicted. Ever since then, I have immediately jumped on board any new social media platform. Social media has been integral in the lives of my peers as we have grown up along with social networks. These social media outlets have served as footholds in our lives; something to cling onto when the real world just isn’t cutting it. We have collectively become addicted to this faux satisfaction that “likes” and “followers” get us.

I’ve deleted my Twitter and Facebook before, saying I needed a break from them for awhile, yet I always coming back. But the truth is, I am unsure how to not have social media. If I do not have a Facebook, I will not be able to be a part of my sorority’s Facebook page where we post a ton of important events and details about our chapter. When I do not check Twitter I feel like I have fallen behind on current events and some of the news I would not have found elsewhere. I want to let go but who am I if I do? It seems like social media presence is what makes people “real”. We mistake Instagram captions for character and have forgotten how to know people solely in the real world without the support of our online personas.

I have already seen a lot of articles this week about Instagram celebrity Essena O’Neill who decided to quit social media. Her new Instagram with edited captions about her new stance on social media honestly inspired me. She claims, “social media is not real life” and I agree with her. But what is her message really doing if all we do is spread it around social media? Surely, some people will follow her lead and delete their social media account as well, but there is no way everyone will.

I just cannot quit social media. It is not practical for my life. If I want to share my work and my writing with the world, I need social media. I find it so incredible that social media has allowed us to connect as a whole world and share our cultures, talents and wisdom with one another. However, social media has a lot of negatives that I think we often ignore.

Sometimes I do wish we could snap back to a time before Instagram filters and Twitter handles but clearly we have come too far to go back. I just hope that we can find time in our busy lives to look away from our screens and at the world around us. Pictures may last longer but don’t let trying to get the perfect angle for your Instagram takes away from your experiences. No amount of likes or comments compares to the actual experience you were attempting to capture through a lens.

Social media and I will not be breaking up anytime soon, but our status has definitely changed to “it’s complicated”. Just remember that the amount of Facebook friends you have will never determine your worth. Capture the moments you want to and even share them if you feel obliged, just never forget to step back from your screen and let the real world sink in.