You are probably rolling your eyes at this article because it is another article about social media. Social media has made so many people become attached to their phone, and it's a problem. I decided to write this article because, earlier this week, I almost fell into a massive hole the construction workers made. This could've been avoided, but I was scrolling through Instagram while walking to my class. I look around RSU, and I don't see people engaging in conversation—instead they are glued to their phones as they walk to their next class. Yes, social media can be good and can benefit some people, but from the looks of it, I don't see any positives.

For a couple of weeks, I deleted social media off my phone. Let me tell you how much more productive I became without the apps! I was able to work productively on my homework and finish assignments in a timely manner. With social media apps, I would work on a paper for an hour then scroll through Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. How is that even remotely close to being productive? No wonder I stay up late working on assignments! I don't stay focused on the task at hand because my phone is sitting on the corner of my desk distracting me. Without the apps, I began walking to class without my eyes glued to a small lighted screen. I noticed my surroundings and realized so many people walk aimlessly to class on their phones. We have become so attached to our phones that no one can sit in class without looking at their phone, even I am guilty of that. Start leaving your phone in your backpack when you walk to class. Try and not check your phone while you are in class for the entire hour you're sitting in a lecture. Keep your phone in your dorm when you are doing homework or maybe turn off your cellular data to the apps until you are finished studying.

Social media not only distracts you from homework but the world around you. Yes, social media is great to connect with friends and family who don't live near you, but let's be honest, we don't use social media for that. At the dinner table, you see everyone on their phones. No one is engaging in conversation and don't value the people around them. Isn't it funny how cell phones have created a distance between you and the person in front of you? I'm guilty of being on my phone just as much as the next person. It's sad to sit in a room full of people and feel no connection at all. We have a false sense of connection with the people in our lives. We build more relationships online than we do in person. When is the last time you had a genuine conversation with someone and were not distracted by your phone? Every time I have a conversation with someone either they are on their phone or I am.

We have started to live through or cell phones. We post constantly to Snapchat and Instagram because we want others to see what we are doing. Whatever happened to privacy? Why do you have to post to every social media platform about your life? Be careful what you post because you never know who is watching. Social media puts people's lives on a platform for the whole world to see. Social media was created to bring us together, and we do exactly the opposite. Studies show that 63 percent of Americans log onto Facebook daily, and 40 percent log on multiple times each day. How crazy is that statistic? Honestly how many times do you get on Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, or Facebook in a day? I can say for me that I get on every chance I can because I get bored so I turn to my phone.

We post selfies to Instagram to get likes, post pictures of what our boyfriend gave us to show everyone how good you have it, and by doing that we compare ourselves to each other. In 2012, a team of researchers in the UK surveyed users: 53 percent said social media had changed their behavior while 51 percent said it was negative behavior because of a decline in confidence they felt due to unfair comparisons to others. How is that bringing us together? We have started living a life based on false reality and through a small phone. Your life isn't in a cell phone. Your phone means nothing; it has become a distraction to life. Honestly, before you post to social media think about why you are even posting it in the first place. Maybe start posting something that people will benefit from.

So ask yourself this: Do you get on social media because your bored, addicted, or because everyone is on it? Stop texting in class, scrolling through Instagram, and stop posting every chance you get. Put down your phone, leave it in your dorm, and go see what life has to offer because it is not found on your phone.