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OPINION: SOCIAL MEDIA OVERLOAD

Social Media Overload


Feeling a bit overwhelmed by the internet? How about your smartphone, with all it's apps and downloads? Are these social networking sites- like facebook, twitter, etc- putting a little burden on  you? 
Well...me too.


It seems like yesterday I was scrolling down barbie.com, dressing up my Barbie in different outfits and putting copious amounts of makeup on her digital face. Now, I am faced with the everyday challenge of coming up with a witty comment to tweet, liking a friend's photo on facebook, and reblogging every other post on tumblr. You're probably wondering: this is just another post on how social media is so overrated and she's going to go on and on complaining about it's effect on society blah, blah, blah. 
Well, you're half correct. 
It's become increasingly apparent that teens and even many adults are cooped up in their own little world, digitally updating and documenting their entire life for everyone to see. People in their home, on the bus, and even at restaurants are all focused on some kind of electronic device that pulls them into a never-ending ocean of social media and other sorts of entertainment. I even recall a mother and son at Elephant Bar who literally sat down with both their eyes glued to an iphone screen they each held, ate their meals through complete silence (still hanging on to their iphones), and left the table barely able to take their mind off of the devices. But it really isn't just that. It's the fact that once you get hooked on to a social network, you suddenly feel an obligation to go back to it, to update it, to like and share on it. I still feel that way, especially with this blog that I'm pretty sure no one ever reads anyway. How can this force be stopped? Simple- it can't. Social media is too inundated in society to leave, plus it brings people together from all over the world.
The only solution is in your own moderation. Take a break every once in a while. Leave your smartphone, your tablet, your laptop to go hang out with friends, exercise, or even cook!
Believe me, you'll feel a lot better about yourself. And besides, you can always tweet about it after.

Always keeping it cool,

Rachel