We have heard it countless times: “Social media is ruining our generation."
Maybe… Maybe not. Have you ever really thought about it, though?
Social media’s prevalence today has gotten huge. If you don’t have an Instagram, where do you put all of your pictures? I am very guilty of being glued to my phone -- there is always something new to look at: tweets, statuses, posts. But just because I love my social media doesn’t mean I am naïve to what it is doing to ourselves and the relationships we have with each other, both positive and negative.
I think I can safely say that the majority of our parents, grandparents and other older relatives have created accounts on a few different platforms by now. They are always a little late, but they usually end up hopping on our bandwagons. While having our family’s eyes on our accounts isn’t always the best thing, it does have its perks. My grandparents love commenting on my Facebook pictures and posts; they feel included. So when my weeks get too busy and I forget to call, they get their updates on my well-being from my pictures and my status updates. Social media definitely keeps those longer-distance friendships and relationships in tact a little bit better.
It seems like Instagram has quickly become a competition of who can make their life look more perfect. Are you going to post the picture of you having your eighth meltdown of the week in the library or the picture of you with your friends having fun on a Saturday night? Look at my Instagram, I post the second one. Whenever I go back home for a weekend I always get the “How’s school treating you? It looks like you are having fun and really enjoying it." You only let people see what you want them to see online, and sometimes people forget that.
I caught myself last week scrolling through someone’s Twitter because they seemed upset when I saw them in class. When did looking for emotional tweets become the best way to check up on someone?
Something even worse may be the connection between a person’s social media account and their self-worth. If somebody else gets more likes on their Instagram picture than you, are they a better person? Are they liked more? Of course not, but you know it runs through your head. Just look at who some girls look up to nowadays… Instagram models! That’s unfortunate.
Social media has made meeting new people and forming new relationships way too easy. Out of the last 10 people I have met, I exchanged Snapchats with 9 of them before exchanging phone numbers. And the tenth person was a girl I had to do a class project with. Social media has become so important to a lot of us that stalking somebody’s Twitter or Instagram can tell you a lot about them: their interests, their relationship status, how close they are with their family, if they have any pets, where they went on vacation last year, what sports teams they like, etc. It is scary how much you can know about somebody you may have not even spoken to yet. It really has completely eliminated that entire “getting to know you” phase of forming relationships.
To some people, one like or favorite = one flirt. Like, “Whoa, he went back and liked your Insta selfie from six weeks ago? He definitely wants you, you’re in there for sure, girl." Do you really think your grandma got mad at your grandpa for liking another girl's Instagram post? Tweet? Nooo. It has gotten to the point that if you aren’t proudly displayed on your boyfriend’s social media, you feel like you aren’t important to him. How happy does it make girls when the boy they like puts them on their story? Way too happy. It’s insane, but it happens too often.
Yes, it may seem like social media has had a little bit more of a negative impact on our personal relationships than positive… But after all that, am I willing to delete my accounts? Of course not, don’t be ridiculous.
