Think back to the last time you went a full day without checking any of your social media accounts. Can’t remember one? You aren’t alone. Most of us have come to rely on our social media presence to some extent – but there’s a healthy way to be active on social media, and an unhealthy way. It shouldn’t be taking over your life, and your online persona should be an extension of who you are in real life, not someone completely different. We all catch ourselves obsessing over social media sometimes, but there should be a limit. If you’re addicted to the social media platform of the day, here’s why it may be doing more damage than good.
- You ignore the people right in front of you. Your parents haven’t seen you in weeks, and yet you can’t seem to leave your phone in your purse while you have dinner with them.
- You’d rather tweet fight with someone than say what you want to say in person. You need time to compose the perfect 140 character comeback. #dontmesswithme
- You’re obsessed with how many likes you get. Whether it’s a completely unnecessary photo of your egg white omelet, an open-ended statement about blondes having more fun, or a video of your cat being a typical cat, you better get at least double digit likes, or it will be deleted within 24 hours.
- You’re constantly taking selfies. The reason you’re always late for everything is you need to take 20 selfies of your current hair, makeup, and outfit. You can’t keep your followers in the dark about your new mascara technique!
- Duck face. Enough said.
- You can only communicate through short 140 character snippets. Whenever you have to write something longer than a sentence you struggle with writer’s block. And reading? Forget that. If they can’t get their message across with 140 characters, they aren’t worth your precious time.
- You think everyone wants to know about every crisis in your life. Your long winded essay about how you are through with trusting the wrong people (complete with a strategically placed #brokenhearted) is making everyone you know roll their eyes.
- You have no idea that everyone can see through your humblebragging. Your gym selfies and clearly fishing for compliments hashtags (#muffintop) are insincere and insufferable. Congrats on your perfect abs, UNFOLLOW.
- You actually say the word “hashtag” IRL. As in “hashtag low carb!” when you order your burger without the bun, or “hashtag TGIF!” when the long weekend finally rolls around. Just stop. No one thinks it’s cute. No one.
- Making things “Facebook official” is more important to you than actually being in a healthy relationship. Just another way to brag to all the your acquaintances on FB about how glorious your life is. So what if you’ve only been on three dates with the guy? Your arch rival from high school doesn’t need to know that.
- You think you’re close, personal friends with Ryan Reynolds because he replied to one of your tweets that one time. You manage to find a way to bring it up in every day conversation too. “LOL Ryan tweeted the funniest thing the other day.” You’re on a first name basis these days.
- When you’re mad at a friend, you don’t tell her. You just unfollow her on Instagram. There’s nothing more heartless than clicking that unfollow button. She’ll notice when you stop liking everything she does, then she’ll know she really messed up.
- When you have a fight with your boyfriend, you immediately change your relationship status to “It’s Complicated”. Your friends and family need to stay updated on all the minutiae of your on-again, off-again relationship. You’re just giving the people what they want. And this way you don’t have to update everyone individually.
- If Facebook didn’t remind you of birthdays, you might not even remember your own mother’s. How did people remember birthdays before FB? You actually have no idea.