How has social media changed you?

Posted on by Spencer Kolbert

Social Media has become as intrinsic to modern American life as Football and Apple Pie. In all honesty, social media has changed me for the worse. I am embarrassed to even think about the amount of time I spend bouncing from one social media forum to the next. I believe that despite how much social media brings us together, it really takes away from your greatest relationships. Sure I am able to stay connected with friends from camp I haven’t seen in years. And yes I can tweet at celebrities and have my opinion seen by hundreds, thousands, and even millions of people worldwide. But what I have lost is some of the authenticity of closer relationships. Everyone in my family sits at the dinner table with a hand on their phone, scrolling down some app liking photos or tweets or statuses. But we don’t talk like we used too. Smartphones and social media have enabled us to skip the small talk; no longer must we converse with those in our immediate radius, cause we can talk to anyone anywhere. With less conversation in-person, those genuine loving relationships between family members and close friends suffer. We have evolved to communicate so much and with so many people that somehow we now fail to communicate with those closest to us.

When I was in 5th grade I received my first phone. It was a flip phone with a mediocre camera and a battery that lasted 3+ days. In order to text I had to press each button several time to get the letter I wanted. There were no apps; there were no high-definition cameras or Snapchats. If you opened the Internet app you immediately rushed to shut it down so your family didn’t receive any abstract charges. A phone was just that; a phone. I miss those times when your phone was a tool and not a toy. A device and not a distraction. I challenge you to disable all your social media accounts for 24 hours, and enjoy the life that is in front of you.

See if the real world isn’t just as sweet.

2 thoughts on “How has social media changed you?”

  1. I enjoyed this analysis because, like most things in life, while social media has a lot of positives, it also has a lot of negatives. It’s important to always view both sides of a situation. Whenever a certain thing is viewed in a certain light, it’s a valuable experience to shift and view it from the opposite side. When thinking closely about it, I can relate to the frustration felt when everyone is sitting on their phones instead of conversing. I do it too sometimes. Social media isn’t always great.

  2. I really enjoyed your analysis of social media because it’s a unique perspective. Often when people discuss social media and its destruction of relationships, it comes from the perspective of the older generation; having never grown up with social media, they struggle to see the benefits of social media and see it as a destruction of our natural connection. Both you and I have grown up with social media playing a large role in our lives, as often we build relationships over social media and its role in our lives. I like that you acknowledged that social media can be a danger to our generation, as it’s nice to see a self-evaluation from someone who many deem “the problem.” Hopefully we’ll all heed your advice and try to “go off the grid” more often, but until then, all we can do is try to focus on the bigger things.

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