*Scroll*

"OMG I cant believe she posted that"

*Scroll*

like!

*Scroll*

"I need to send this to my group chat, this is hilarious"

*Scroll*

I peak my head up, look to my left. Shit! A grey Toyota Corolla is quickly approaching me, I hit the power button on my phone, slip it into my pocket and scurry across the street. The street that I happened to find myself in the middle of while mindlessly scrolling through Instagram; fascinated by the array of memes and obnoxious bikini selfies that flooded my screen.

I reach the sidewalk, pop out my phone, pull up Snapchat and continue mindlessly walking with my head buried in the world of social media with no care for the outside world. Engulfed in cyberspace that is insecurity, a world that is a competition, an environment that is toxic. We are all informed about the dangers and harmful effects of social media yet we all allow ourselves to be consumed in this ludicrous concept that is anything but social.

What I gained from this world:

- An inability to properly communicate with my peers.

- An easy way out of an unwanted conversation as I pretend that in the midst of my scrolling, I lost sight of the person next to me.

- A feeling of insecurity knowing my Instagram page is the way new people define me.

- Ineptitude to be present in any conversation as a Snapchat, Instagram or Facebook notification floods my home screen.

This social experience that every one of my peers swears by is the sole thing keeping us from being social. I have no problem searching for someone's Instagram handle prior to a meetup but the second I anticipate speaking with a large crowd of people or even just meeting new people, I get consumed with anxiety. I'm not sure if its just me, but I know that I've become too comfortable using my phone as a protective glass to shield me from the outside world.

https://pixabay.com/en/pokemon-pokemongo-friends-school-1548194/

But what is the alternative, delete my social media account? Isolate myself from the online world that all of my friends abide by? Feel incredibly lonely or left out? I don't know the answer and I doubt anyone does, but the point is, my generation is constantly being engulfed by this seemingly inclusive environment that everyone wants to be a part of. A world that allows me to accidentally walk in the middle of the street as I scroll through the posts that I wish I was.

Take a step back, take a cleanse, I don't know but whatever you do, make an effort to be present in everything you do.