Social media is definitely one of the greatest things that has ever happened to this generation (can I get an "AMEN"?). I mean, think about it...there's literally a social media platform for everything.Twitter helps you keep up with your favorite celebrities' latest album drop, movie announcement, or online feud; Instagram is perfect for fine-tuning that "selfie" of yours and showing off your artsy side; and Facebook is the best way to learn about that super hot guy who sits in the back of your class.
But even if you don't want to admit it, there is such a thing as "too much of a good thing". Social media is convenient, but it does disadvantage us in more ways than we are willing to pay tribute to. Here are three reasons why social media is slowly making our generation ironically LESS social...
1. "Must...stay...updated" Syndrome
So, we've all been there. We try to be normal and leave the phone on mute for a few hours. Although, when we do that, what happens? In those mere hours, our favorite celebrity couple breaks up or Zayn leaves One Direction or Macklemore drops an amazing single out of nowhere...and we've missed EVERYTHING.
We've learned the hard way how awful it feels to be hours late when it comes to life-changing celebrity news. As a result, we insist on staying "in the know" by whatever means necessary...Although, obsessing over staying current on the happenings of people miles away means that we forget to stay plugged into what's happening in our lives right now.
2. To stalk or not to stalk...THAT is the true question.With so many social media platforms, our generation has access to more information than we've ever had before.
Viewing someone's profile could easily tell you everything you'd ever need to know about the sport they play, how many siblings they have, what clubs they're in, or even what they had for lunch! Thus, we are guilty of falling into this mindset of "Why should I socialize when I can learn everything I need to know about them from their profile?"
NOT GOOD. Not only does this result in us losing our ability to communicate face-to-face, but also it leads to us forming more and more surface-level relationships online and then wondering why our bonds with these people aren't as strong as we'd like them to be...
3. Do it for the...likes.Have you ever met those people who go out to a club, concert, or sporting event and, rather than paying attention to what's happening at the event or engaging with the person to their right/left, they're too busy perfecting their "selfie" or "Kardashian smolder".
If you're guilty of this, don't worry...everybody's done it. However, what happens in this case is that we spend more time trying to look like we're having fun rather than actually having fun. Let the proof of your enjoyment be in your expression rather than in the amount of "likes" you receive...
Now, I'm not saying that we have to go "cold turkey" when it comes to our social media usage. And, let's face it, we couldn't quit it even if we wanted to...All I'm saying is that we definitely need to learn to step back just a teeny bit... We, as a generation, have to remember that while pop culture is addicting, we must also stay invested in our own lives, as well. If we don't work to better our lives, who else will?