I Changed My Friend Group And Ended Up Changing My Social Media Habits, Too

A couple months ago I attended a school football game. As I waited for the game to start, a group sat down in front of me. Before their butts could even hit the seats, one of the girls started to Snapchat her spot in the stadium.

As I watched her record the endzone and swap the camera over for a selfie video with her group, I realized how little I cared about sharing stuff like that.

Two years ago, I was that girl.

Two years ago, I had a different friend group.

I was surrounded by people who were just like the girl at the football game.

One of my friends at the time was the kind of person who posted about every event she was at. Her Snap and Insta were always full of selfies and videos of singing loudly to whatever song was playing in the background.

I was always around someone who posted about everything that happened: every person they ran into, meal they ate, movies they watched—everything was posted.

I became that person.

I felt the need to document everything through Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter.

It wasn't until that football game that I realized every time I posted, it was with the subconscious attempt to impress others.

That's what I did, what my old friends did, and what the girl at the football game was doing.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with posting to social media to brag about something or show off a little, but when your sole reason for posting is to impress other people, it's time to look at yourself and people you surround yourself with.

When my friend group changed, I stopped posting so much.

Part of it was because I was no longer close to certain people and didn't feel the need to keep those people updated anymore. I suddenly didn't care for my old group to constantly know what was happening with me.

Another reason was I made new friends who don't want or need to be up-to-date. By not sharing everything that happens in my life with them, I'm able to save those moments for actual conversation. They also simply don't care to know absolutely everything that happens to one another and don't really care about social media either.

When I'm with these friends, I don't feel compelled to share what we're doing. I'd rather enjoy the private, close moments with my friends than publicize them for a few likes or views.

Lastly, I stopped posting because why does it matter?

Yes, fake internet points are nice, but what does getting some views on a Snap of you drunkenly singing do for you?

What do you get out of sharing everything on social media?

If something funny happens, why share it right then? Why not save that for actual conversation? People will respond better to things you tell them in person than them glancing over on social media. If you want a response from people, actually be social about it.

Talk to people.

I realized I don't need to share everything on social media because it gives me something to talk about.

I don't feel obligated to impress every last stranger and acquaintance on Snapchat and Instagram.

I'm not here to say we're a culture of instant gratification or social media is toxic—those are articles for another time—but rather, social media is such an uninvolved form of communication. We post so much and expect everyone to love it.

My friend group was so enveloped in trying to please people through social media, and I became that person. I put social media before my social life.

I made new friends as was I able to realize it's what happens with them that matters, not what I post about it.