Today we live in a world where we interact with each other through a great deal of different forms of technology including social media, blogs, photos, music, apps, and so on.

It’s gotten to a point where people can’t hold a conversation without the sudden urge to glance down on their devices.

Instead of living inside the social media vortex, you should try to be the best possible version of yourself without the approval of the “online world”

Now don’t get me wrong. There is absolutely nothing wrong with sharing moments, ideas, or interests amongst one another through new resources of technology.

Assuming this is done because it’s the easiest way to stay connected.

According to the Pew Research Center, 74% of Internet connected adults use social networking sites.

And 90% of “global millennial”- young people from around the globe aged 18 to 29 use social networking sites.

I am no different than any of the 3.010 billion active Internet users we have today. Whether I use it to touch base with relatives in Europe or parading my outfit from last Thursday, I use it.

“Instagram star” Essena O’Neill, 18, recently broke her silence on the social media overload “issue” and how it it’s affected her life.

According to The Guardian, O’Neill had over half a million followers on instagram, and was making money by promoting marketing products. She was promoting herself in a way to get validation. She deleted over 2,000 pictures and edited the captions to reveal the corruption behind social media, and how it took over her life.

WATCH: Essena O’Neill rages against social media. Video from The Guardian.

Which she also discussed on her website where she wants to start a movement on people not using social media as a reliance.

“We have forgotten what it feels like to connect, support each other and have integral conversations,” O’Neill wrote on her site. “All I’m saying is that the ‘instagram life’ is not real. There is so much more to the human race than gossip, rumours, and publicly twisting someone’s personal life.”

In other respects, many would argue that social media isn’t all that terrible. It’s been helpful in spreading messages and advertising businesses, news, and current events. It’s beneficial in many ways, like staying connected globally, finding job opportunities, reuniting with old flames, keeping up with politics, and being able to express yourself.

Our generation is brimming with creativity and new ideas. Shouldn’t there be a way for those ideas to get out and make rapid change?

Socializing outside a networked environment is so incredibly important. Social media has a tendency of blinding us from reality. There is a lot more to life then being so wrapped up in a world based on likes and followers. Why idealize people who are completely self-absorbed with strippers, fancy cars, and money?

I’d argue that you should idealize your history professors, favorite poets, and artists. Not only are online users portraying themselves to be something they are not for self-validation.

“Get away from behind the screen and go for a damn walk down a bridge you’ve never walked on before. Chat with the neighbor you’ve been living next too for the past two years who you’ve never uttered more than a few words to.”

Social media is everywhere you go. Restaurants like Chilis, Red Robin, and Olive Garden have installed tablets in their establishments.

At these places, your sever is pretty much a screen.

What’s going to happen in the near future to people working in the restaurant industry? We are already de-humanizing these businesses.

Chevrolet recently made a big announcement that made a splash in the car: “Chevrolet is the first and only car company to bring built-in 4G LTE WI-FI to cars, trucks and crossovers.”

I guess yes, it’s cool and useful to have while being in a long car ride, trying to kill time. But road trips are meant to be fun and spontaneous. The Internet and your social media accounts will always be there.

Why sit on your phone for hours during a car ride, when your family, significant other, or best friends are sitting two feet away? Be annoying, loud, and sing the songs we all hate.

Life is too beautiful and short to spend your time being focused by what you see on a tiny computerized screen. It isn’t reality, it is not living.

Instead of worrying about how many likes you get on a photo, worry about which dressing you should use on your salad or how you look when cuddling with your dog; instead talk to your friends about your dreams and fears.

Get away from behind the screen and go for a damn walk down a bridge you’ve never walked on before. Chat with the neighbor you’ve been living next too for the past two years who you’ve never uttered more than a few words to.

At the end of the day none of this is going to matter in the long run. With that being said, I have a new social network for you to explore. It’s called life.

Cover Photo Credit: Jim Pennucci/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)

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