Do you remember the days when we were kids and we would go outside to play rather than stay inside? Do you remember how we would take a bike ride and meet up with friends to play tag in the park? Do you remember the days when we didn’t need approval from others? Those days have been destroyed by the obsession with social media.
The social media world first started with MySpace, a social media networking site where you could connect with friends, personalize your profile, and upload photos and videos. Social media has now branched out to include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat, which are some of the most popular.
When I was first exposed to Facebook, I posted a ton of pictures of myself and I was friending everyone who I knew. I remember being proud of how many friends I had on Facebook. A fair number of those friends were people who I had only spoken to once or not at all. The number of followers that you have and your relevance in the social media community has become such a huge deal. Now, many think that it is the only thing that matters. They live and breathe social media. We have become obsessed and even envious of other people's lives and think, “Why isn’t my life as exciting?” after seeing a picture of them laying on a beach in Jamaica. Let me tell you, getting a new follower is like finding someone to give you a kidney. It’s life changing!
Do you remember the phrase “quality over quantity?” I guess not. Here's a newsflash, people: social media does not make you more relevant!
Who doesn’t like to look at pictures of things like your breakfast, a cute picture of your dog, your celebrity crush, and, of course, a selfie that you think that you look amazing in? 
You take that picture and edit it to a T, getting the right lighting, and, of course, your caption has to be on point! Then, all of the sudden, you start getting like after like and comments that say, “Can I have your face?” You feel incredible. All of these comments and likes make you feel like you can take over the world. It is a major confidence boost, but do these comments and likes really prove your worth?
Many of us have learned while growing up that looks aren’t everything. To many of us, they’re simply just a bonus. No one can tell from a picture if you’re smart, what an amazing personality you have, or what a nice person you are. Posting a selfie may mean that you just need a confidence boost, but social media is the wrong place to go for that. Do you really feel new and rejuvenated after getting so much attention? How does a complete stranger make you feel better about yourself? Out of all of the followers that you have on twitter, how many of them do you actually know and why do their opinions matter so much? I apologize for bombarding you with so many questions, but take a minute to reflect on these questions and give yourself an honest answer.
We, as a society, have come as far as staring at a computer screen and taking what other people say, even strangers, as a measure of what we really are. That person behind their phone saying how ugly you are or how much they hate you would never say it face-to-face. Social media is a way to avoid that confrontation. Like I said before, why do a complete stranger’s comments mean anything to you? Someone who hides behind a screen should not affect you or determine your worth.
Imagine this: during all of that time that you spend on social media reaching for more followers, getting the most retweets on what you thought was the tweet of the century, getting the most likes on the picture of your Chipotle burrito, even Facebook stalking someone who you haven’t talked to in five years, you could be out changing the world. You could be spending all of that extra time actually doing something worth your time. Turn in your egotistical, narcissistic ways and do something outside of social media.
So, I will leave you with this: social media does not and will never determine your value. What you put on social media is out there forever and for everyone to see. You are worth much more than the 200 likes on your best selfie.
