Today’s society is all about technology. One of the largest aspects of technology is social media. Social media grows every single day. There are hundreds of different social media apps that individuals can use and have access to through their cell phones or computers. Although social media is good for keeping up with friends and events, social media isn’t always a positive thing.

Sometimes social media can really make one question oneself. People are always posting what they’re up to, which is almost always upbeat and positive. You see, this is simply not how life really is. People use social media to tell their friends, peers, family members, or whomever will read, their update about the highlights of their lives. What they leave out, though, are the not-so-great parts.

So what's the result? When someone is having a bad day or a rough time in general, scrolling through Facebook and seeing that everyone they know is having a much better time than they are can be really upsetting. They may begin to wonder what is wrong with them, and question why their life isn’t as good as their friends. Here is my one piece of advice: TAKE EVERY POST THAT YOU SEE ON SOCIAL MEDIA WITH A GRAIN OF SALT.

I am dead serious. People only post things that they want you to see. They don’t post their struggles, rough patches, fights, break ups, fall outs, etc. Although a super depressing social media account would also be annoying, because it would seem like the person really only wants sympathy, everyone knows that one’s life cannot be all sunshine and rainbows. So keep scrolling through your social media feeds, but understand that not everyone’s lives are as impressive as they make them seem. Your life is not bad – think of all the things that you have and the people around you!

Not only can social media make you feel like your life isn’t good enough, social media is corrupting our youth. Today’s kiddos don’t enjoy spending time outdoors, with friends and family, or anything other than having their nose in their phones. I hate being in public and seeing kids that are probably ten years old or so staring at a phone. There is so much world to see, and they are missing it. When I was growing up, my siblings and I enjoyed jumping on the trampoline together, playing whiffle-ball in the back yard, swinging on the swing set, and playing hide-and-go seek. Now, kids are mostly worried about their amount of Instagram followers, or how many Pokeballs they can catch. I hate it. I hate it so much.

So I ask you this: Put down your cell phone. Go outside. Take a walk. Enjoy nature. Hang out with your friends and/or family, and don’t post about it on social media. Quit paying attention to the amount of followers or friends that you have, stop stressing over picking the right edit on your selfie, and live your life for YOU. You weren’t put on this world to impress anyone, so quit worrying about what society thinks of your life and live for yourself. The only person’s opinion that truly matters is your own.