In the world of Insta likes, retweets, and the world’s greatest facilitator of nude-sending (thanks snapchat), lives one lonesome college student classified as a social media noob.
An ode to my hard work (or lack thereof) in the virtual realm, I've reflected on the time I’ve spent enriching myself in real life rather than on the internet. It may come as a surprise, but I’m perfectly content without following the social media frenzy. Not to mention, the extra storage on my phone is glorious.
Why social media? Why now?
Since the dawn of Facebook and the slew of platforms that followed, we’ve gone from humans to zombies. Grieving over an insufficiency of likes, following people you wouldn’t even acknowledge in person, swerving on the road to post the perfect snap of your latte…zombie-like tendencies.
Better yet, tendencies of complete internet possession. I am constantly plagued with frustration at this generation’s inability to just be present.
It’s the age of narcissism. Oblivion. We’ve reached the paradox of progress and stagnation. Social media undoubtedly has its benefits — we've come far. But it comes with a cost.
Being present
What concerns me the most is the fixation on an unreal world. Life is fully around us; as college students, we're in our glory years of being able to cherish the world without completely experiencing its emotional taxes.
Social media disrupts the concept of self-worth, vesting self-esteem at the mercy of others. Whether it's an act or a reality, this concept is all-around destructive.
There's a reason we're called the anxious generation. When was the last time you took a walk to class without touching your phone? It's called being present. Try it sometime.
Here comes the rant
They say your twenties are your selfish years, and I back that notion up 100%. But selfish has a different connotation now because of the way technology is headed.
In the past, selfish meant splurging at the mall with your friends. Going on a few dates a week for the hell of it. Planning adventurous biking trips on the weekend.
The new selfish is a narcissistic takeover. It's when you're with your friend group and everyone is on their phone. It's the jolt of happiness you get from getting a new follower. It's the edited photos and hours spent on creating the perfect caption.
Frankly, we're too busy watching other people have fun that we don't even have fun on our own anymore.
Turn it off
I know what I’m arguing is outlandish: there’s absolutely no way to reverse the takeover — oops, I mean surge — of social media. It’s our way of life now. It has revolutionized the world, and while I still argue for more traditional approaches, I acknowledge its efficiency.
Progress is good, but with the world's first robotic citizen and more on the way, it's important to be wary of the downsides of technology.
You hear about the people who pledge to go social media-free for 72 hours, and it seems crazy to consider going without it for so long. If you think about it, though, there are some of us who never even started. It’s a different life, but it’s a damn good life.
I’ll savor every moment of it, and I’ll reminisce with no part of me wishing that I had seized the moment in a better way. SM-free and focusing on what’s in front of me. Now that’s what I call #blessed.