"Coachella sucks. People literally go to Coachella, just to show people they're at Coachella."
-Tyler the Creator
You might chuckle -- but he is right. This quote is a microcosm of a big problem with our generation.
Millennials are the first generation to grow up with the internet and social media. Social media has become so ingrained in our everyday lives, we often forget how much it has changed how our generation lives their everyday lives.
Remember those days without social media where we used to go out…
...because we actually wanted to go out and NOT to show people how good our lives are.
Don't believe me?
Go to a concert or a music festival. I bet you everyone will have their phones out recording to post on their Snapchat, Instagram or Twitter, rather than actually enjoying the music. That's the problem with our generation today.
Instant gratification.
It feels good to get a "like" or a retweet or have a lot of people watch your Instagram or Snapchat stories (ahhh that sweet, sweet validation). It is why you have people constantly trying to show everyone how great their lives are.
"Heading to the Hilton!"
"200 Pushups, planks, jump ropes, then running a 5k today"
"Wow... A lot of fun tonight"
You see what I mean. All your friends seem to be traveling around the world, going out drinking all the time and partying…
Meanwhile, you are sitting in your room with your dog -- feeling like a loser and thinking that something is wrong with you. It makes you feel like you need to go out because everybody else is having the time of their lives!! This right here is the reason why you have people doing dumb things like recording a Snapchat or Instagram story while driving and risk getting into a car accident. We feel like we have to be showing people we are having fun all the time.
That's what social media does. It shows you how "great" everybody else's lives are (and how mediocre your life is). What people forget to understand is that they are watching the highlights of everybody's lives. Social media gives that illusion that their lives are like that all the time. The truth is, their lives are pretty boring most of the time. Nobody sees the mundane things they do every day--only the parties, traveling and well...the fun stuff.
Look, I am guilty of this too. I will check my Facebook, Instagram and what do you know... an hour has gone by and I feel like I need to go out or do something. Sometimes I will find myself using Snapchat or Instagram to show people I'm having fun in my life is rather than just enjoying myself.
My advice: be mindful of how much social media you are using. Stop watching your friends lives through your phone and actually use your phone to hit them up to hang out. Put your phone down at the next concert and just enjoy the music. Go hiking and actually enjoy nature rather than taking the perfect picture to capture how beautiful it is.
Let's all actually live life.
Check out Tyler's full interview here.
