Is obsession with virtual reality hurting your chances of succeeding in actual reality? Technology is preventing our generation from developing proper social skills and tearing down our self esteem. 

Like any college student, I partake in the self-destructive behaviors of going out after staying up all night to study for a test or going to the party on Saturday when I know I won’t get anything done on Sunday. Initially, I set out to write this article about how these habits are bad for our schoolwork, our physical health, and even our psyche.

But what I discovered was that this behavior may, in fact, be the healthiest thing for a college student’s self-esteem. And just why on earth would I think this? Quite simply because the act of going out involves real, live social interaction. Being in a public place with real people forces us to communicate with words that are actually being spoken, not implied through Emojis.

In a previous article, I discussed how technology is complicating romantic relationships between males and females, and I still believe this to be a valid theory. However, a more detrimental relationship that technology is currently poisoning is the relationship we have with ourselves. With the excessive use of cell phones, social media, and smart phone apps, our generation has become technologically gluttonous, which is ultimately causing us to suffer from afflictions that were not a threat to previous generations. Such ailments include the fear of being alone, some major self-esteem issues, and eventual adoption of social impediments.

To fight this decline of social skills, I think it is important to develop a healthy separation from technology, especially your cell phone. This may sound preposterous, but guess what? Just because you own a cell phone does not mean that you must carry it with you everywhere you go or answer it every time it rings. Seriously, though, phone calls can be always be returned and text messages won’t run away if you do not respond immediately. 

We are constantly updating everyone on what we are doing, and constantly inquiring what everyone else is doing. Every time we stand in line for a cup of coffee, we check Instagram. In fact, every time we find ourselves waiting for just about anything, we flip through Snapchat stories. And don’t even get me started on Candy Crush at the dinner table. 

So when did we get so afraid to be alone with our own thoughts? Instead of clicking around on your keyboard, spend that time with yourself or with friends in face-to-face conversation. I think that technology has allowed us to forget how to socialize properly, a skill that is imperative in the professional world that will soon be upon us. 

Aside from having our thumbs glued to our phones, technology has also ingrained the idea within young people that “if it’s not on social media, it’s like it never happened.” Not only has this paranoia forced us to document every moment of our lives so other people can see it, but it has also made us extremely sensitive to the opinions of others. Likes on Instagram are heroin to our generation. If we're not breaking that personal best of 125 likes, then we’re not getting high. I know some people who actually delete photos from Instagram when they don't receive a socially acceptable amount of likes, embarrassed that others will take this as failure. 

It is also common to compare our personal popularity on social media to that of the folks we follow or share a friendship with, deepening our insecurities. You may think I’m being dramatic here, but don’t pretend like you don’t secretly get upset that your 15-year-old brother got twice as many likes as you, or that your friend didn't give you that comment: “Dang, girl, you look hot,” decorated with Emoji flames.

On the flip side, we can also take too much pride in likes upon receiving a substantial amount. So what if your 2^nd cousin’s neighbor that you met once thinks that your baby picture is cute?

One app on the rise that I absolutely despise is Tinder. I asked my friend once why she had a Tinder account, and she said it was “a confidence-booster.” Like most other users I have discussed the app with, she said that “it is just a fun stupid thing she does when she is bored.” But I have a hard time accepting that Tinder is completely harmless. Even if it is a way to meet people and flirt with locals, I think that the fact that we rely on such a thing to feel good about ourselves says that we don't have enough confidence. Call me old fashioned, but I prefer to flirt with a person, not a picture of a person that may or may not even exist or actually be the person that they claim to be. Can you say Catfish?

Trust me, I enjoy Facebook stalking just as much as the next gal, and I truly think that the Internet is the greatest thing since sliced bread. But technology is allowing us to isolate ourselves, and we're forgetting how to communicate both internally and externally. We don’t know what to do without our phones when our dinner conversations reach a bump in the road. We forget to type out the words “by the way” in papers because we are so used to typing out “btw.” We have let apps like Instagram and Tinder create ever-present paranoia developed around social acceptance.

Personally, I feel that our generation cares too much about what others are doing and what others think, and not enough about who we are. If we do not overcome our fear of being alone in public places and continue to trade a virtual reality for this reality, we will be left jobless, loveless, and ultimately, hopeless.