It's easy to get wrapped up in your surroundings. Humans learn most, if not all their behaviors through observation. If we learn through observing those around us, how do we stop ourselves from fitting the mold? Should we stop ourselves? Is the mold "good" or "bad"?
What if the mold normalizes communication through the double tap of your thumb? What if it dictates that your deepest understanding of a person is through what said person shares on their "story"?
Instagram and Snapchat are arguably the largest communication medians in this day and age. Your value as a human being boils down to how aesthetically you present your life and how many people it entices to follow you.
No part of this process has real substance. Yes, the person in the picture or story is you. Yes, you actually did go on a hike this morning. But, were you as excited and lively during it as you described it in your caption? Did you get up on that rock because you wanted a better view of nature? Or, did you climb that rock so you could #throwwhatyouknow? Sure, you have a snap streak with the dark, tall, and handsome man of your dreams, but what if snapchat didn't exist. Would either of you put in the effort to actually reach out to one another? Would either of you be motivated to do further than using the camera function of an iphone?
Social media is so easy to scorn, but so hard to ignore. Even if you resent it and try to abstain, there's always a lingering feeling that you're missing out on something. That "something" is a fake, virtual reality. More likely than not, your Snapchat friends are not people you talk to in person on the day to day. How many of your Instagram followers would actually stop and say hi if they saw you on the street?
We obsess over keeping up. Keeping up with every movement everyone takes. Keeping up with trends. Keeping up with slang. Keeping up for the sake of not falling behind. We obsess over the fake communities we created on a screen.
I am no exception. I get a nervous itch if I haven't scrolled through my Instagram feed for an hour or two. Getting food or watching a friend do a cute little jig is a let down if my phone is dead and I'm therefore unable to snapchat it. But, I realize this is not normal. This is not a healthy habit. This is an addiction. This is a problem.
And this problematic behavior is plaguing people at younger and younger ages. Everyone's witnessed a parent that shoves an ipad in front of their toddler's face to stop them from crying or whining.
If our present is already filled with such strong social media addiction, what will be our future?
