It can be hard to live in a world that’s so social media saturated. We’re constantly seeing images that we should live up to: being fit, being the perfect mom, eating the perfect “Pinterest” dinner, and measuring up to the selfies posted by our friends.
Have you ever been to a concert and noticed everyone watching the concert through the camera on their phone?
Instead of living in the moment, we're living our lives behind a screen.
And suddenly, just because we can’t snap the perfect profile picture or get our Instagram theme on fleek, we feel unworthy.
It’s not that using social media to stay connected with friends is wrong, but it’s what we choose to do when we see those pictures. We can choose to be happy for them, or we can use those pictures to harbor feelings of jealousy, comparison, and worthlessness.
As women I feel like throughout the generations we’ve been targeted with tabloids, soup operas, and social media is basically a new form of this at our finger tips. That’s why we have to prioritize our time, and learn when to say yes and no. I know how it is when you hear your phone buzz with a notification, and out of habit you find yourself knee-deep in social media half an hour later.
I know people who have had to turn their social media notifications off entirely to protect their time, because once the notification popped up they couldn’t resist the temptation. I use the word temptation specifically, because I think that for many people social media has become an addiction. If you can’t go a day without checking your social accounts, that is a social media addiction.
Social media is a great way to connect with people you don’t see on a daily basis, but don’t neglect your real life for a virtual one. And keep in mind, people are putting their best foot forward on social media.
While we’ve gained instant access to everyone’s personal lives, we’ve lost the art of real communication along the way. It might be easier to post a status or send a text, but it’s important to have relationships face-to-face. We have to take the time to step away from our social media accounts and invest in our relationships, because some things can never be achieved through likes, comments, and shares.
Like accountability.
We can be anyone we want to be with little accountability when we’re hiding behind a computer screen, and that’s a dangerous place to be. Mentorship happens in relationships. Growth happens in relationships. God created us with the need for relationships, and when we neglect that natural human desire we experience depression and loneliness.
A new study concluded that the more a person is engaged with media and on their smart phone, the less compassion and concern they show towards others.
I can speak from experience that there have been times I have felt irritated after spending a day working on the computer, and I couldn’t figure out why.
My point is that social media has a lot of good uses, but just like with everything else, we have to monitor how much time we put into it. When we’re experiencing emotions like depression, anxiety, or loneliness, we have to take a hard look at how much time we’re spending on technology versus on the relationships in our life.
How do you monitor your social media use? Let us know in the comments below!
Kirsten Keesee is 19 years old and lives in Mt. Vernon, Ohio, where she works as a content writer for the Drenda Show. She enjoys traveling, collecting books, and checking items off of her bucket list.
