Today, people glorify technology. They praise all its conveniences and indulge in all it has to offer. The purpose of technology is to further advance our society. Life is supposed to be getting better. Relationships are supposed to thrive with the new ability to chat with others across the world. Yet, although technology is supposed to keep us connected, I have never felt more distanced.
First, I’ll address the curse of texting. Texting has become my life, in addition to Instagram and Snapchat. I refuse to get a Twitter because I know I will become obsessed with that, as well. Yes, texting has kept me in contact with many people who I otherwise would not have much contact with, and it has some other minor benefits, but sometimes it seems the whole face-to-face setting doesn’t seem as important. To get to know someone, all you have to do is shoot a text. You no longer need to go grab coffee or dinner in order to get to know someone.
It seems socially acceptable to have more of a relationship with your phone than with the actual person. People complain all the time that the romantic culture is dying out, and I agree! It’s hard to be romantic when you hardly see the person you like. And when you do hang out, there’s the “here” text, rather than walking up to the door and knocking. C’mon people. The first step in solving this problem is admitting there is one, and there definitely is a problem.
Texting is also a threat to conversing with people. I am already petrified of public speaking, but hardly speaking face-to-face with people in today’s culture certainly does not help overcome the problem. I begin to stutter and search quickly for topics that I can maybe talk about, which usually leads to dull conversation. Over the phone, it’s so much easier because you can take your time finding a new topic and can analyze every word you say. It has just gotten to the point where I am so much more comfortable texting than talking. This really, really irritates me because when in a relationship this problem just makes it all the more difficult to be vulnerable with someone and verbalize how you feel. We all know it’s already plenty difficult to open yourself up to someone, and being so dependent on typing how you feel on a tiny screen does not help when it is time to do it in person.
But to make matters worse, now people are using Snapchat as a viable place to have a conversation! As if texting wasn’t bad enough, now people are having pointless conversations that only lasts for 10 seconds, or less. I will definitely admit, I am guilty of this. I have a 100 plus day streak with multiple people. I don’t know if this is worse or better because at least with Snapchat you can see the person’s face, but that may also make it more superficial. And don’t forget that each Snapchat you get most likely wasn’t taken and sent on the first try.
With Snapchat, you need to ensure you get the right angle, make sure your hair looks flawless, and add a little fun filter to it. Snapchat helps set unrealistic expectations. In person, your hair isn’t going to look “on fleek” all the time, you’re not always going to be featured at the most flattering angles, and you aren’t always going to be looking cute and happy. Why not? Because you’re human! And the thing people forget is that people will love you during your most unflattering moments, especially if you get to know them off of snapchat and hang out more in person.
And the final topic for this rant: Instagram. I can’t tell you how many accounts I have come across and became instantaneously jealous. Their life seems so perfect! She is always traveling somewhere amazing! Can I have her life? But guess what? This one picture only took one second to take. In a day, that is just one measly second out of 86,400. In a week, that is one teeny-tiny second out of 604,800. In a year, that’s one second out of 31,540,000,000.
It is so incredibly easy to make one second of your life look glamorous. It is so easy to be caught in a happy moment. And, like Snapchat, if one picture does not suffice, many more can be taken to make that one moment look more extravagant. After all, the better the picture, the more the likes. The better the picture, the more people will be jealous of you. The better the picture, the better you feel about yourself and the life that you have. The number of likes you get on a picture now determines how great your life is. And instead of living your life, you focus more on making it apparent to the rest of the world that you have one by posting pictures.
So now you tell me, is technology really all that great?
