Snapchat is one of the most widespread, widely used forms of social media today. There is about 100 million people that use the app daily, with the average American adult checking social media 17 times per day. Whether it's taking selfies with a funny filter, pictures of that beautiful sunset, or videos of your night out, people are constantly using Snapchat, often even in place of their regular camera. Recently, I went to a concert, and instead of just enjoying the moment and singing with the band, nearly all of the people who were pulled up on stage were spending their time taking selfies. Not singing, not interacting with the band, but taking selfies. Most of us don't even think about the sheer amount of time we spend on social media. The average American adult spends one-third of their waking hours on their phones. That is one-third of your day that you could be spending connecting with others, working out or just simply enjoying the world around you.
Don't get me wrong, I loved the easy access to my friends and their lives. However, when Lent rolled around this year, I decided to delete Snapchat. The previous Lent I had deleted Twitter, and it had turned out to be a great decision. It cut my time on social media down a crazy amount, and I also realized that people don't really care to know my daily habits. (Newsflash: no one cares enough except Mom, and she's not on Twitter.) I figured that this move would force me to focus on what was going on around me, as well as get the focus off of me. My life is so much more than what I was showing through my story or my random snaps to my roommates. And I was missing all of it.
I will admit that I am a self-proclaimed photography fanatic. I will always prefer to be behind the camera than in front of it, and I frequently used Snapchat to show off all the beautiful sights I was experiencing. However, once I deleted Snapchat, I quickly realized how much I had been missing. Before, I wasn't really experiencing that sunset or my little sister's race. Instead, I was worried about getting the perfect video to share with my friends, and I was missing the big picture. In the time it took to capture that moment, come up with a caption, and share it, I had already missed what really mattered. Deleting Snapchat didn't stop me from taking pictures or videos of the things that mattered, but it did stop me from spending tons of time trying to get the perfect one. Instead, I captured the moment in a way that mattered to me and moved on. Because it wasn't going to be shown to everyone I know, I didn't care what it looked like. I liked it, and that's all that mattered,
On this subject, it also radically changed the way I view myself. While I am not a huge selfie person, I was significantly more likely to snap a selfie than to take a selfie with my camera. This had two effects. It made me way more narcissistic, because again, who cares that you're bored in class? Nobody, that's who. It also took up way more time than anything should. I mean, like any girl my age, a good selfie takes about 15 tries, plus the best filter for that particular lighting. This is incredibly time-consuming and really unnecessary.
Deleting Snapchat may not be for everyone. It's definitely a huge tie to your social circle, and it's always a big surprise when you tell someone you deleted it. However, it was the right choice for me. Because of the newfound freedom, I not only have way more time on my hands to do the things I love, but it's also enabled me to live in the moment, rather than living my life behind my screen.
