Society is drowning in a sea of social media. (Yes, I understand the irony that this article is shared primarily on social media, but just stick with me.) Almost every reason we adore social media is also a reason to abhor it. Disclaimer: I am a teenager, and so yes I have had (and loved) social media, particularly Instagram. “b_davidson1,” that was my Instagram username, the account where I showcased my life for all to see. Instagram was right up my alley as a high school girl. That’s why it was so hard to make the decision to delete my account, but almost two years ago on June 12th 2015, “b_davidson1” was no more. SO, I am practicing what I preach here.

Everyone kept asking me “Why? Why? Why?” like a two year old when you tell them to eat their vegetables. I could never quite put into words on the spot why I did it, but I knew that I had felt burdened to. So here’s an attempt to explain why, why, why.

I think that we have become a people blinded by the mask that Instagram puts over reality. Only a person’s highlight reel is displayed leading us into a constant comparison trap of our lives verse theirs. We spend so much of our time scrolling through “news feeds” (the only real news being what your neighbor ate for lunch that day) with the fear of missing out on something, that we have forgotten how to live in the moment. For example, we see a picture of our friends in downtown saying how much fun they had at dinner, and we feel left out. But if you were there, you would know that you really did not miss out on anything because the majority of dinner everyone was scrolling through Twitter to avoid real conversation, taking a thousand “candid” pictures for Instagram, and getting the designated “funny friend” to reenact that “funny thing” they did one hundred times (way past the point of being funny anymore) until you get the perfect video for your Snapchat story. Yet still, we see these pictures and find ourselves wallowing in self-pity. What’s fun about that? Yes, I understand and totally agree that it is important to capture the moment, but I think we have become so caught up in capturing the moment that we are forgetting to live in it.

The second reason I deleted my Instagram is because I realized I was basically obsessed with myself. That’s scary…I never intended to be a conceded person (of course), yet here I was posting picture after picture of myself and unknowingly making my life look seemingly perfect. I would delete the picture if it did not get enough likes quickly enough. I spent more time on vacation editing my picture than enjoying the view. I was so concerned with what my friends were doing I was failing to connect with my family. As you can see, I am not trying to condemn you in this article, but rather I am simply speaking out of conviction. How do we get to that point? Let’s talk specifically about the most basic elements of Instagram: filter, likes, and comments. These titles alone should be a red flag. Filters— literally and figuratively mask reality. Likes— deceive people into determining their worth by the number they receive. Comments— (half the time) are insincere compliments because they want one back. Ouch.

All that being said, I do not believe that social media is a monster or that all aspects of it are evil. There are so many ways that social media can be used for good. For starters, as I mentioned before, social media has given me a platform to share this article! So, I am definitely not saying everyone needs to go delete their Instagram. However, I am a firm believer that vast majorities of people have become caught up in putting their worth in artificial parameters, and we cannot solve the problem until we recognize it. So, we have to start calling it like it is. I also understand though, that in the age of technology we live in, social media is probably here to stay. But what if… we all made a conscious decision to put down the cell phone every once in awhile, and truly experience the world we live in.

Be aware of the water you are swimming (or drowning?) in.