One of the most recent popular topics to be discussed among the millennial generation is the topic of social media and the impact it has in our lives. Up until about a week ago, I thought everyone was being slightly dramatic in saying that we’ve let it consume our entire being. Though I stand by my belief that it has not taken over our lives, I do acknowledge that may have more importance than it should.
I realized this when a girl I knew created a new Twitter account a while ago. Naturally, I followed her account, wanting to keep up with her life. I expected her to follow me back, eventually, and when she didn’t I was a little surprised. I did what any other person would do when they realize that a friend isn’t going to follow them back -- I unfollowed her. I unfollowed her because I was offended in her lack of “care” to keep up with my life. And after pondering this for about 45 seconds, I realized how dumb and shallow that all sounded. I realized that I was putting the value of friendship on the basis of a follow. I realized that social media suddenly did have more of an importance in my life than I realized it did.
I took a few steps back from the situation, wanting to understand why I let this follow/unfollow situation get to me the way that it did. My friendship with this girl deserved to be based more on the real life interaction that she and I had shared rather than the internet interaction we could have shared over Twitter. Honestly, we probably wouldn’t have interacted at all online. So then why did it bother me? Had I really gotten that deluded by social media?
I think everyone has this moment where they see the true position social media plays in friendships. I had to step back and realize that this girl and I were merely acquaintances in real life. Social media keeps me so updated with everyone’s lives that I sometimes forget that the person and I don’t even ever speak anymore. It’s not a negative thing to use social media to be friendly and stay up to date but you shouldn’t let it become so involved in your friendships that when you don’t get a follow back, you suddenly question every interaction with them and get angry at their decision.
Real-life interaction is where your friends need to be. Your friends are not just people you follow on social media. Social media should be viewed as an outlet to keep up with people you wouldn’t have kept in touch with otherwise, such as your acquaintances. Focus on the friendships at hand and stop letting a button on a computer screen define where you stand in someone’s life. This was a lesson I needed to realize. Social media is a platform for quick updates, not for making new friends or rekindling old ones. In the real world, it doesn’t matter if someone follows you back or not.
