Let’s play out a little scenario here. I’m at the beach with three of my closest friends. It’s 85 degrees, and the sun is practically baking us as we run in circles through the sand and dive into the water. We’re all laughing, clearly having a good time--we’re even about to get our favorite soft serve at the snack bar. Everything is absolutely perfect. Could I even ask for more?
Apparently, yes. I see the dripping ice cream cone with a backdrop of the shimmering waves and immediately think: Wow, this would be such a good Snapchat story. Bam, just like that, I’m distracted and immersed in my phone. Later on in the day, my friends and I are hunched over laughing hysterically at the guy in the Speedo who just fell in the sand. I quickly urge one of them to capture our candid laughing moment so I can post it on Instagram (at the appropriate time, of course. You need to post at a certain time if you want any likes). Once again, I’m completely taken away from the fun of the day and concentrated on getting the “perfect” Instagram photo. Now imagine this: suddenly, the wi-fi and cell service cut out, and posting to any social media on the beach becomes impossible. I become restless and frustrated when my Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook won’t load. I can barely even focus on having fun anymore--I’m too focused on the fact that the world will not get to witness my amazing day (not that they’d even want to in the first place).
It is not wrong to participate in social media outlets, nor is it wrong to take pleasure in using them. I, clearly, get pleasure out of using them. However, I can admit that I suffer from something that seems to be somewhat commonplace, but shouldn’t be. It is embedded in our culture by now that posting things on social media is the “right” thing to do; it’s how we share our adventures with the world--it’s how we communicate. Yes, those aspects of online usage might be true. However, is it getting to the point where we feel as though our adventures don’t matter unless we post them? Furthermore, is our social media usage--likes, comments, views--forced, rather than for pleasure anymore? Is that what people nowadays will ultimately become--serial posters, likers, commenters, and viewers? That’s where the pitfalls of social media usage lie, in my opinion.
Sometimes I wish I could just wipe out social media completely (well, maybe not completely, but for the most part). Sometimes I wish Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and everything in between would all just disappear. Then, maybe, we wouldn’t be so hung up on what others are saying, doing, thinking, or feeling at literally any point during the day. We have the power to do that right now, and it’s that power that creates a forced sense of communication. If all social media platforms were gone, maybe we’d finally start living in the moment again. No more stopping an adventure to get the perfect “candid” shot; no more figuring out which grammatical sin to commit when you’re one character over on a tweet; no more wondering if you’re posting too many daily Snapchat stories.
Although we can’t completely wipe out social media at this moment in time (and it probably would backfire if we did it completely in the long run), it is possible to tear ourselves away from the notion that we must always be attached to our media. Don't get me wrong--I do like social media and enjoy sharing things with my friends. However, it is possible to have an amazing time without showing the world that you’re doing so. It is possible to enjoy life to the fullest. I, myself, must take this challenge. Like I mentioned earlier, I am 110% guilty of everything I’ve outlined thus far, but it’s never too late to start living life a little more. I intend to do just that.
