Emily Mirabelli
Copy Editor
Millennials are compulsive about their social media.
I, as a millennial, do not understand the attachment.
Since the mid 90’s, the internet has given people around the world access to one another, their ideas, thoughts and actions.
Jobs are created over the internet and are based around the internet.
The possibilities are endless with the help of the internet.
When different media platforms began springing up, people were hooked.
From the days of MySpace to Instagram and limitless hashtags of now, people are far more connected than they ever needed to be.
Often these media platforms are used to stay connected, keep in touch with people abroad and document activities and journeys.
For all these reasons, social media is relevant and helpful, it also seems to be the downfall to real human interaction.
Everyone within my age group is so hung up on dazzling filters and catchy hashtags they seem to have forgotten a little thing called eye contact.
We have morphed into a society where face-to-face interaction is more of a burden than a blessing.
Why would we talk to one another when we can send pictures and post bits of our lives onto the World Wide Web?
I am not putting down social media, but I am condemning the amount of time and effort we put into it.
Social media often causes people to lose touch with the moment they are living in, and put more effort into making it look “pretty.”
I am sure that your brunch looks magnificent, I am thrilled that it is satisfactory.
Do I care that you can make it look artsy? Not so much.
“Going to brunch” is a universal code meaning, “let’s catch up, gossip and make up for lost time.” These things involve talking, communication and eye contact.
I believe in posting photos and sharing the magnificent moments in life, but I also believe in reveling in these moments.
Not only has social media contradicted all the communication skills we have learned throughout our years, but it also creates very false pretenses.
Most social media platforms give users options to filter, edit and crop their photos allowing for a very dolled up glimpse at a very real moment.
Quite frankly, nothing is nearly as bewitching in person, as it is on social media.
The carefully set up snapshot of a party, the sepia soaked photo of a building in the evening, the brightly contrasted photo of a sunset?
All edited shots. The party was not nearly as epic as the photo depicted, that building could have very well been the back of a KFC and the sunset was probably two colors at most.
Art is beauty and social media is more about art than real life.
The beauty of real life is all the imperfections created but our uniquely flawed society.
I am proud to say I have never invested time or energy into Instagram, Twitter or any other platform.
I enjoy being in the moment and sharing that with the people around me.
Maybe, if we all looked up from our smartphones for a while and set our sights back onto reality, we could begin to rediscover the genuine beauty around us.