Social Media IS My Life

The role of social media in today's world has a significant impact on many people's lives, including mine. Although I love having a device at my fingertips at all times that grants me access to pretty much any information I desire to know, I would like to go back to the days (maybe only for a day or two) where social media and cell phones weren't the center of my life. I have vague memories of what those days were like, and they didn't include much stress or gossip. I remember the elementary school days, feeling the anticipation of getting to go outside and ride my scooter through the neighborhood after school. The days when I looked up to my big sister as my biggest role model, admiring everything she did. Now, having social media, as soon as I get out of class, I only anticipate checking my phone to see what I missed out on, and I admire places I've never been to and people I've never met. Throughout this assignment, I will have the chance to go back in time in a way, and I am curious of how I will naturally react to not having the world at my fingertips. Part of me believes I will be relieved of tension and distraction, causing me to have more strength to not get on social media, but the other part of me wonders if I will be filled with agitation and restlessness, causing me to give in. During this experiment, I will delete the Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat apps off of my phone to keep me disengaged from social media completely. Although I am a frequent user of them all, I predict that Instagram will be the one to make me a little restless. 

When I say social media IS my life, I mean it quite literally. As a fashion major, I am continuously invested in the fashion industry's use of social media through fashion bloggers and stylists. I work for a personal stylist and fashion blogger myself, helping her write blogs, post a picture with the blog link on all platforms of social media, and write comments back to her followers that comment on her posts. Not only am I constantly scrolling through my own Instagram feed, following and looking at fashion bloggers' posts and outfits, I also have access to my boss's Instagram, where I scroll through her feed as well. I just can't seem to get enough outfit ideas...until I realize my eyes have been glued to my tiny screen for a whole hour! Feeling guilty, I will put the phone down and engage in some activity that actually exercises my brain, until later on in the day where I find some down time to pick up my phone again. Then I scroll through Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat stories, catching up on anything I had missed from a few hours before. This usually happens before I go to bed, which I count as my "down time." By the time I'm ready to go to sleep, I have probably spent about 3 to 4 hours throughout the entire day on social media platforms, including the small segments of time I open a Snapchat from a friend or check an Instagram notification. It doesn't seem like much time when I am going about my day, but writing about it makes me feel a bit guilty!  

Although I spend a lot of my time on social media, I am aware of how it can take away from my life. I try to make efforts to not use my phone during meals, especially with my family, when I am spending quality time with family and friends, or when I am in class. I think this has a lot to do with how I was raised. My family has always been very close. We know how important it is to spend time together talking about our day, making jokes, and sharing memories, good news, or even our struggles. Therefore, we each do not feel the need to rely on our phones for entertainment or comfort when we are together. However, many other people have become oblivious to how much social media is taking away from their lives. I have witnessed this in some of my friends' families and interpersonal relationships, where no genuine conversation or quality time is existent. I have also found that many people rely on their phones for comfort, or an escape, in uncomfortable situations, such as riding on the elevator or walking through a crowded campus. I admit, I have been guilty of this many times. I think that this habit has taken away some face-to-face social skills and overall friendliness. We are less likely inclined to speak to people, even if it's just a friendly "hello." Instead, we would much rather act as if we don't see the person, and disguise ourselves by jumping into another world behind our small phone screens. I am curious to see, as I blackout social media for a few days, if my social skills and personal relationships will strengthen or if I will feel like a piece of me is missing.