Like any college student, or any millennial for that matter, our phones are our lifelines. We use our phones 24/7 to stay connected to the world around us via messaging, and most importantly, social media. It seems as though social media has essentially set the standard for the way in which we want to live our lives; we view the world and other people around us through the narrow lenses of social media. The social world that has been so highly emphasized has determined one’s social status and popularity via likes, retweets, or favorites. As millennials, we crave and devour this social attention, so much so that it has become more than just a “way of life”: it has become an addiction.
Have you ever found yourself snapchatting that Starbucks coffee you just bought, tweeting a picture of the sunset you came across during an afternoon walk, or instagramming your trendy brunch? I can truthfully say that I have. Because social media has been so deeply engrained into our daily lives, activities such as the ones just mentioned are automatically shared to millions just for the sake of getting likes or favorites. What’s even more accurate is that it seems as if we are doing specific activities just so that we can post it to social media, not because we actually want to or genuinely enjoy doing it.
Is this how we should be living our lives ... going to dinner, taking walks, reading a book, or even studying just so we can post and gain attention on social media? Although that doesn’t seem like a logical way to live, social media has taken over and completely altered the way in which we experience the world. Essentially, we desire the attention social media gives us so desperately because it is validating that we are living our lives correctly based on the level of popularity that is received.
What we do need to do is learn to put down the phone without having an anxiety attack and learn to live in the moment — not for the moment. We need to do things out of pure enjoyment or curiosity, not for the sake of posting and sharing it on social media. Social media has made our lives so insincere and forced; that’s not how we should be living. So next time you’re on a walk, at the gym, out to dinner, or on campus, leave your phone behind … you may find your experience to be a little more enjoyably and much more genuine.
