Dear person scrolling through any social media right now,

There’s more outside of the internet. Never in a million years did I think I would say that but there is. Never in a million years did I think I would have so many offline opportunities or I would be so insecure because of the internet. But those all happened… I’m grateful they did. The internet is a very toxic place for everyone, whether they want to admit it or not. Things are so misunderstood because people don’t know the context of words through technology. You can’t use a certain tone when describing an event that happened through an article to someone. This, in my opinion, is the reason the world is the way it is now. Two people can read an article and have two different understandings to it after they’re done reading. This is why people end friendships, relationships, and even their careers because of a simple message through any social media platform. Trust me when I say personal friendships have ended due to social media. There’s more outside of the internet. For the longest time I thought I would only have online relationships because I’m not like the girls who are super skinny, beautiful and look like a certain celebrity. But here I am, I’ve had one-ish offline relationships (one kinda long distance… if you count a 20-25 minute drive long distance and one not… which is like a 6 house away distance) i’m grateful for the two guys i’ve dated, whether the first guy was a jerk or not… but that’s a different story. I “dated” a guy that lived almost 6 hours away. It wasn’t real, the feelings were but the relationships weren’t. You couldn’t act like a couple with a computer screen. You can’t enjoy the little things in life with a screen. There’s so much more outside of the internet. I’ve had memories that will last me a lifetime compared to a simple screenshot you can get to remember that exact conversations. Memories over screenshots. Remember that. You’ll remember that time you and your family got together to celebrate a cousin’s birthday or the time it was a summer night and you and your friends spent the night walking around the neighbor, eating ice cream and talking about your dreams when you were fourteen. That memory is a lot better than a screenshot that had no meaning behind it. The internet won’t give you long lasting memories, you’ll look back and realize you wasted your whole life due to the internet. It’s going to suck. There was a 3 or so year span of where I was just on the internet and didn’t create beautiful friendships with people because of personal reasons. During that span, I thought the internet was my only friend. Don’t get me wrong I loved it at times but it’s not real life. As much as you want to believe it, it’s not. People actually survived without this. It’s only this generation that needs it as a necessity because we don’t know how to interact without it. Never in a million years did I think I would be so insecure because of photoshopped women. I use to look at celebrities's photos and think “god why can’t I be that skinny or beautiful like them”. I bet 99% of the girls on this earth think the same every time they see a photo of another celebrity. My mom once told me “Even the models’s get insecure. Do you think the girls don’t get those moods where they feel fat no matter how skinny they are?” Well probably not exactly that but somewhere close to that. People are born with certain body types and the internet perceives that girls should be less than 100 pounds, have flawless skin, always shaved, and have amazing looking hair. Overtime girls get those ideas stuck in their heads and are practically brainwashed to look EXACTLY like that. I can go on and on about insecurity alone but I don’t want to get off topic. Just know that (if you don’t already know for the millionth time) there’s more outside of the internet. Take the chance to talk to your crush in school, take the chance to befriend the people you’re scared to talk too (most likely they’re super chill and will consume your existence like my cousin on thanksgiving… maybe not in a violent way but in a loving way), and take any opportunities to better yourself and have memories because those are the memories that you’ll remember forever. There’s more outside of the internet.