As a 19 year old college student, I don’t know when was the last time when the world was quite literally not in my hands. It is true, as the 21st century progresses, we have become more and more dependent on our phones. For news, for navigation but most importantly to stay connected, even when the other person may or may not call for our attention.
Scrolling endlessly through Facebook, checking up our Snapchats now and then and of course not being able to swallow dinner without Instagramming it first––today, this is the dilemma of our lives and I am as much a part of this as you are. We are all victim to this global addiction that is far from being removed by any prescription or rehab center. The real predicament is that more than half of the cell phone owning population doesn’t even acknowledge the awful truth.
Now as we delve deeper into the patterns of social media, a study about a new trend is making the rounds. According to recent studies many millennials are opting out of the popular public squares and moving to a rather new social media giant, Snapchat for goofy selfies and funny videos. If time drags they might check into Instagram to see the brands they love or switch to Twitter to get a laugh or two on some celebrity tweets. But mostly, they’re keeping to this platform which is much more intimate.
And what you may ask are the reasons for the high popularity of this symbolic white ghost? Well mostly the ephemerality of all that is posted. In today’s fast tracked world when our moods change quicker than lights on a signal, a 10 second story that will last at most for 24 hours seems like a fair deal. No one wants news acquaintances witness your old days of being a Miley Cyrus fan, do they? Kids today are wary of future employers, college admissions departments and even banks using their social media profiles to form assessments. What stays on Facebook can’t ever be forgotten and especially if you have naughty friends like me who often go on a liking spree of my old photo albums. There is just so much one can delete.
Currently, so many teens are obsessed with letting their friends know about what coffee place they went to or which concert they are driving to that they forget to stop and ask themselves that if they are so busy documenting their life moments for the world to see, are they really living it? And even more importantly do the people who see their story really want to see it? I understand that for some this 10 second image may be a quick way to keep people posted about what’s going on in their lives but the essence of communication lies in two people holding a real, flowing conversation and the foundation of friendship is based on conscious efforts by others to make an effort to know how you are doing.
By snapchatting on a regular basis, one fails to save memories, the real reason why photographs are taken in the first place and know whether the other person’s showing any sort of concern about them or not. You don’t want to give random people, who do not even ask, insight into your day to day life. We all must learn to prioritize whom we give out our information to.
Now the basis of my article is not to criticize you if you are an avid Snapchat user. Being a lover of beauty, I myself love to post a story or two now or then. But we must all remember the great promise of social media––to spread ideas, bring people from similar schools of thoughts together and use this tool to create a lasting change. May we all use our freedom of speech in a way that is wise, sustainable and of course fun.
