The 21st century is an era where social media dominates our culture. We’re bombarded with posts of people sharing their latest and greatest adventure, a decadent meal, a new song they found or a funny video they just watched. I find myself absentmindedly scrolling through my Facebook and Instagram newsfeeds more times throughout the day than I am willing to admit. It’s become a terrible habit. I wake up every morning, and the first thing I do is roll over, reach for my phone, check my social media accounts and play a couple rounds of Candy Crush before finally getting out of bed to greet the day. I hate that this technological device has become almost an extension of myself and the people around me. I’ve read countless articles explaining how detrimental it is to our emotional states to be constantly checking social media and that our society is beginning to equate their worth to the number of Likes they get on a post. While the goal of social media is to keep us connected, I believe it’s gradually tearing our social lives apart.
The tendency is to only post positive things on social media, and this creates a one-dimensional perspective on who the individual is, and we as the viewer only seeing the positivity, end up feeling as though we’re missing out on something, or our life isn’t as awesome because we don’t have something "likable" to post. In a cyber world dedicated to sharing, we neglect to share the parts of us that are ugly but beautifully honest. Take relationships for example. Everyone is always eager to post pictures of them smiling with their significant other, complete with captions about their wonderful time together, but what about the parts that aren’t so wonderful? No one posts pictures of arguing or crying or being disappointed — all of these are part of being in any relationship. We may know that a perfect relationship doesn’t exist, but when you’re only surrounded by positive aspects of relationships, our feelings may get the best of us and overwhelm our common sense.
There is something so special about human to human contact that no technological device can recreate. I love pure moments of human emotion that I share with those around me. I love joking around with my parents and seeing the smiles on their faces, and hearing their laughter fill the air around me. I love driving with my best friend, windows down, music up, talking about nothing and everything at the same time. I love going on runs with my boyfriend and hearing my breath quicken and our feet tapping the pavement. Holding hands, drinking coffee, sharing a meal, experiencing something new, all of these are some of life’s most precious moments. When I’m with the people I love and care about, I don’t feel the need to grab my phone or post about what just happened. There are moments that are meant to be shared just with those around you in the real world, as opposed to the cyber world.
At its core, social media is an incredible technological advancement because it brings people together – I do have a Facebook and Instagram account after all – but I worry that I’m getting too attached and I worry that others are too. I want to remember life having lived it, not having documented it on social media. The beauty of our memory is that it isn’t perfect, but that’s half the fun — reminiscing with people about what “really” happened, even if you all perceived it differently.
Tomorrow morning, I’m going to greet the day in a positive and productive way by thinking of five things I’m thankful for instead of waking up and reaching for my phone.
“Live in the present and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering.” — "One Tree Hill"
