It seems that this generation has taken quite the obsession to our phones. I’m not pointing fingers, making accusations, or talking down on the matter, because I am just as guilty as the next person. We have become so consumed in social media “likes” and “favorites” as justification of (unnecessary) approval from others. We stage our life through our Instagram to make it seem like we’re more fun than we actually are. We search endlessly for that perfect filter to feel good about ourselves. We feed off of sharing every mundane detail of our lives and read about everybody else’s. But why?
It seems as though everyone has forgotten (myself included) that there used to be a life beyond the screen. While some of my friends give me my best Twitter material when I exploit the dumb things they say or do, I then try to remember that it’s important to have “portion control,” if you will, when it comes to my phone.
Meaningful conversations are becoming extinct. Remember having sleepovers with your friends when you were younger? Staying up until 4 A.M. talking about anything and everything? Those in-depth conversations, while still happening, are becoming a rarity. In exchange, we now gossip about a selfie that some girl we don’t like just put up, or that ungodly long Facebook status someone from your high school posted.
We are quite literally virtually-charged and electronic-thirsty zombies.
Nine out of ten times, we’re so consumed in the Snapchats we’re receiving, we don’t even hear what the person next to us is saying.
It’s not just social media, however. It’s the texting. I will be the first person to admit that I like talking to somebody all day every day -- especially a significant other. But really, how normal is it to (virtually) be there for every moment of someone else’s day? How many times is too many times to text: “What are you doing?” until you start to feel like a total stalker who needs a hobby?
Being attached to our phones from the second we wake up to the second we fall asleep is not natural, normal, or healthy. However, it is something that this generation has deemed as “normal” to make us look less psychotic for constantly needing attention and verification from others.
I’m not suggesting that you shouldn’t care about what your S.O. is doing throughout the day. But I am (100 percent) guaranteeing that you will positively survive your day without knowing what he had for lunch.
The fact that you can (and I’m positive you can) name at least one friend who is a self-proclaimed “Facebook/Instagram stalker,” is not a necessarily a proud title to claim.
The only person who cares what you’re doing all day long is your mom. Sorry, somebody had to say it.
If you think about it, having a conversation through texting is almost a charade. How do you really get to know a person? You can’t hear their sarcasm -- and trust me, sarcasm is not transferred well through text. You can’t catch onto any dry sense of humor. You so easily misinterpret messages, which causes us to overthink. We sit there and contemplate a good message to respond with, when in real life, there’s no “drafts.” You’re on the spot in real life, and that’s what makes you who you are. So those instinctive dorky things we say in real life is a more accurate representation of who we are -- not the emojis that we’re hiding behind.
It’s time we all stop congregating around our phones with our roommates as we decide on that “perfect message,” “perfect filter,” or “perfect hashtag.”
We’ve all been in a situation where conversation becomes so dry, but we’ve been bred to think we should keep the hamster wheel spinning until we clock out for the day. I mean really, it’s almost a genuine talent that we get through an entire day of just texting without having to Google conversation topics. It’s healthy for you and your relationships to take a few hours away from your phone. Do you.
I am the furthest thing from an expert when it comes from stepping away from my phone, so I’m trying to give some advice that I, too, will be taking. But if we really think about how ridiculous it is that texting has replaced spoken conversations, I think (and hope) we can snap back into reality and away from our screens. When you’re at dinner with you friends or family, or even just a casual hang out with your friends, catch up with them, not with your social media feeds.
I understand texting offers a sort of “buffer zone” when you first get to know a guy. I also understand Instagram obsessions because I, too, look better under in the Amaro filter, but that’s just not who we are.
It’s about portion control, and we all should try it. Limit the messages you’re sending him and take the time when you’re with him to really focus on him. I promise a more happy and more genuine relationship will develop. Stop comparing yourselves to the overly-edited girl who likes to post a selfie once a week. And for the love of God, people, can we all put an end to the irrelevant polls that Twitter now offers? I really don’t care where you choose to go to dinner. Can we all go back to the time where we were conscious of the people and the conversations going on around us?
Let’s start now.
