Social Media

Living in the 20th century means everything is online. The way students complete their assignments is the way careers are shaped. Being a teen growing up in the digital age means that everything we know and love is online. Having easy access to social media creates a great impact overall. Technology is a tool, but it is also a weapon. 

When used correctly, technology can be a significant advantage across multiple areas; however, when misused, it can quickly become a significant disadvantage. Social media plays a great role in how teens' brains are wired. Given firsthand experience, social media is one of the most life-altering tools. 

Social media can be used to find like-minded people, find new interests, and even motivate people to make that change they’ve been thinking about their whole lives. The dark side of social media is where things can get difficult. Growing up on social media and watching all your friends post pictures from their hangouts that you ‘wouldn’t have had fun at’ and seeing everyone else post thirst-traps of themselves, highly edited. Social media is a never-ending rabbit hole that people often get sucked into. Going to school, people are constantly obsessing over their phones. So much so that schools are having to implement new phone policies to combat the phone addiction. The gossip around the school is often spread like wildfire, often thanks to social media and technology in general. Going to lunch- ‘Did you see what she posted?’ The constant drag down over who would look the best, act the best, have the most friends, and have the most relationships, is all taken to a new level with social media. 

If someone has enough willpower to not be stuck on their phone, swooped up by the gossip, it is likely that they will fall into that rabbit hole at some point or another. When we should be working on our assignment, we are engrossed with the newest trend. When we should be studying for the upcoming test, we often find ourselves distracted by the newest fad at the time. We have all fallen victim to technology and social media at some point in our lives, and it is time to make a change. 

Set a time limit on your phone, prioritize school and work before indulging in screen time. Acknowledging and taking the first step is the hardest part. Make the change.