We’re in 2016 now, and technology, particularly social media, has taken over like never before. In some ways, this innovation is great. We can now connect with friends from all over the world, keep up with relatives that we might not get to see so often, and be aware of social issues the minute they happen. While these are all great things, social media can also become destructive to ourselves and the people around us if taken too far. Everyone knows it, yet nobody does anything about it. This need, this obsession for social media is becoming more and more prominent in our society today. And it has got to stop.
Stop Hiding
The purpose of social media is not to make spreading rumors easier. It is not to say to people what we are too afraid to say to their face. Unfortunately, that’s a lot of what we see happening today. The amount of “subtweeting” and hateful comments on social media now is ridiculous. We need to stop hiding behind our phones and laptops and start learning to solve our own problems. Confronting others can be hard and may not always go the way you want it to, but it’s a lot less cowardly than attacking someone from behind a screen.
While social media is great for keeping up with friendships, it should not be how you form them. Swiping right is not how you find relationships. Creating a picture perfect version of yourself is not going to help you find genuine friendships that will last. You will never get to know a person at the level you want to through online messages. Relationships form by sending time, face-to-face time, together. Don’t hide your real self behind your edited photos and witty bio. I promise that you are good enough without those.
Stop Seeking
People have become so caught up with the number of “likes” they get on a photo or how many people “retweet” their tweet that they begin to think that it defines them. It gives them confidence, and I’m sorry, but it shouldn’t. Your number of Facebook friends honestly does not reflect how many true friends you really have. How many faces on the friend list have you ever had a real conversation with? How many of them have been with you through your ups and downs? How many can you say will have your back no matter what? The number of followers you have will never prove what kind of person you are. Don’t seek reward in getting “likes” on your picture. Don’t think that just because people watched your 10-second Snapchat video that you’re any better than you were before.
Instead of seeking satisfaction through social media, find meaningful ways to feel fulfilled. Set goals and work hard to reach them. Spend quality time with friends and family. Learn a new skill that you’ve been wanting to. Unplug from the internet and catch up with an old friend, read a book, go outside, do whatever it is you like to do (without Instagramming a picture). Instead of trying to create some superficial version of yourself online, focus on yourself, unplugged. Strive to be selfless, kind, more Godly or whatever it is you want to be, outside of your social media posts. Captioning your pictures with quotes and Bible verses is fine, but it will not make you the kind of person you want to be.
You’d be surprised how much you miss while you’re trapped behind that screen. So stop playing hide-and-seek with social media, and just come out.
