My Life; My Social Media
“As you get older you start to realize there is a time and a place for social media; it shouldn’t hold a strong power against you. But I know that for most of my life, even knowing this, I will have to put my foot down and fight it.”
When you hear social media, what do you think of?
Social media has changed me, and let me tell you how. It started when I was about the age of 10, in my pink dress with mismatched socks, playing Fruit Ninja on my Kindle Fire. All I would do is play games and watch Tom and Jerry from time to time. Social media had nothing on me during my childhood era. But I hadn’t experienced anything yet.
When was the age that you experienced your innocence wasn't quite innocent any more? I can tell you when.
Nothing like middle school, am I right? I started to see change within myself the minute I started connecting with different social media apps like Musically, Dubsmash and Snapchat. These platforms are attention seekers. In middle school, I was always too focused on my phone. Doing Musically’s, dances, lip singing to music while making Snapchat videos.
1738, I’m like hey, wassup, hello.”
Why do these girls love to do that pose?
These sounds were addicting and were always on my mind. Those sounds weren't nothing compared to the sounds I listen to now. This is the crazy part. Social media did not only influence me but also changed my personality.
There are positive and negative ways social media affects me. Social media has led me to be able to connect with a wide variety of people, explore and learn different things. It’s allowed me to know what happens in different communities. Without social media a lot of people wouldn't have many resources. What would happen if there weren't any platforms? How would you feel? I ask myself the same questions because I personally can't live without social media. Since I grew up with it, it's been longing for my attention. Now apps like Tik Tok and Instagram have it. Social media holds a strong burden on me. I feel a weight on my shoulders when I'm on social media. There is sometimes freedom but it is the drama and what goes on in the world that's the heavy part. Instead, I should be spending more quality time with friends and family. I don't spend too much time with my family because I am busy on Instagram or Tik Tok. The first thing I do when I wake up is go on my phone and the same goes for when I go to sleep. This is a negative issue because I focus too much on social media, and it comes to the point where I can't even put my phone down.
During the summer of 2023, I wanted to see how I could keep up without social media. So, I deleted the apps I was on constantly and took a break. Let me tell you: it was so peaceful. It was a sensational feeling. Knowing my history with social media, this was a big decision and accomplishment for me. It didn't just make me focus on myself more but it opened up a clear mindset for me.
When waking up on my phone wasn't my first priority anymore, I did more self care and it was relaxing. I’ve learned and grown and I now know how to handle my time on social media. As you get older you start to realize there is a time and a place for social media; it shouldn’t hold a strong power against you. But I know that for most of my life, even knowing this, I will have to put my foot down and fight it.
In order to get some context and background, I interviewed Mr. Sharkey, because he is completely an offline person. When interviewing me, Mr. Sharkey said a few good points.
I asked him: “How do you feel about being completely offline?” He said: “I feel confident, because my thoughts are my own thoughts.”
I agree with him and stand on that statement. When I was offline, it gave me a real feeling of self composition. So I see where Mr.Shakery is going with that point. He doesn’t let social media fill his head with false information or unnecessary thoughts. Another valid point Mr. Sharkey made it when he said that “the noise around me makes it harder to find my own identity.” This is so true! My point of view is similar to what Mr. Sharkey experiences and views. There are times when social media changes your character. I realized that the new me isn't the old innocent girl that would sit in her pink dress playing Fruit Ninja. Remember that? It all backtracks to Mr. Sharkey’s point on finding his own identity.
Even though social media had a huge impact on me, I was able to learn from my old ways. It did change me, but it also allowed me to open up to more opportunities. It has positive and negative sides but there was an outcome. I was always a shy person and seeing stuff from social media would change me. I wasn't my authentic self. I was more of a follower of what I saw online. My attitude and actions would sometimes come from what I saw or experienced online.
Now, I learned that being a follower does not lead you anywhere in life. I was able to find myself by letting go of social media for a while. There are other ways to find my identity like doing activities or hanging out with friends. It's not always about social media and now I know that.