Social Media has with no doubt become a huge aspect of our daily lives. Many people open their Snapchat before opening the fridge in the morning and I have made a habit of getting on Facebook before getting out of bed.
I'm the queen of waking up hours before I need to but still being rushed to get ready because I sat on my phone all those hours.
— Katarina (@KatarinaStrode) January 27, 2017
Social media platforms keep us updated, prevent boredom, and most importantly they help us stay connected. The last aspect has had the biggest impact on my personal life.
When I was in 10th grade I traveled to Hawaii for an exchange year in an American high school. Over the course of those 10 months, social media platforms like Facebook and Skype, or this blog I wrote gave me the ability to stay in touch with my family back home. My biggest adventure with Skype, however, didn’t start until I got back to Germany because I had gotten myself an American boyfriend. I spent the next 4 years talking on Skype almost every day. It was what made this long distance relationship possible.
pizza date over skype for our 2 year! 🍕 #longdistance 😜 pic.twitter.com/4HhXpCQkvw
— Bri Doehrmann (@briidoehrmann) October 12, 2016
This is where social media really impacted my life. It wasn’t Skype itself but the fact that it helped me continue this relationship which allowed me to have traveled to the US six times by the age of 21. Having to pay for all my flights myself pushed me into quickly getting a well-paid job which, in return really bumped up my resume. The same resume got me accepted into the partner university program and ultimately landed me right here in Newhouse.
I strongly believe that I would not be the same person that I am today if it wasn’t for that relationship and everything that came with it. Without social media, my life would probably be a lot different right now.