This summer I've noticed some friends going through a social media cleanse, and honestly good for them. I totally understand the want to disconnect if they don't find the networks to be of much benefit to them.

But personally, I'm a fan of these social outlets.

I'd be lying if I said I don't spend an overwhelming amount of my down time scrolling through Instagram, laughing at tweets or sending blurry selfies on Snapchat.

If I'm being honest I love sharing my experiences through photos and my not so funny humor (which I find hilarious) through irrelevant tweets and captions.

I consider social media to be the best way to keep in touch, especially with friends and family spread across different states.

Not only can I share what's going on with me, but I can keep up with people it otherwise may be difficult to do so with.

For me, it's exciting to get a glimpse into the adventures of my college friends over the summer or to see how much my high school classmates are enjoying the next stage of their lives at their own schools. For a few moments, I can live through the images and the posts for a point of conversation in the future.

As I defend the use of social media and its addictive nature, I'll juxtapose my words by declaring there are a time and place for it.

I don't have a problem with people posting daily, sometimes unnecessarily. It would be hypocritical of me to say otherwise because I know many of my snap stories and whatever posts are really just silly and for my own pleasure.

But there comes a point when it becomes too much.

So here's a quick plea to my fellow social media fans to realize when it's necessary and when it's not only an unappealing to your followers but also harmful to you.

(This mainly pertains to the use of Snapchat and Instagram.)

If you're only going through experiences to boastfully share them for your followers, you aren't living them for the right reasons.

Use your images as an addition for the stories you tell, rather than making them your only mode of the story. If you focus too much on the best picture to capture your day, you probably haven't made the most of that day. And it probably isn't capturing your day at all.

Don't get me wrong – I'm all for taking a moment to snap a picture on the boat or taking the cute selfie with your food or recording bits of a concert to look back on. And yes, post it and share it for your friends!

But when you are in the moment spend that time actually being in the moment and focus on the real story rather than the Snapchat story.