Social media is everywhere these days. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook- you can’t really escape it if you have internet access.  Personally, I have a love-hate relationship with social media. It’s one of those things that is good in small doses, but can actually become addicting, and you’ll soon stop and ask yourself, “Why do I even care?”

Because it’s true. Why do we even care? What’s the point of getting on Twitter and reading someone talk about how hungry they are or what they are doing every single second? What’s the point of looking at someone’s picture of them and their dog on Instagram? Sometimes it just gets irritating.

But the answer to the “why do we even care?” question is actually a no-brainer. We do it because it’s fun, it’s a way to express ourselves, it helps kill boredom, and it helps us to get to know people or stay in touch. But to a certain extent, it can get a little out of hand. Social media can be used as an outlet, a way for people to show who they really are- but people get in way too deep and invest too much time in it. Some put way too much personal info out there for anyone to see, or they feel the need to keep people “updated” about themselves. You shouldn’t have to keep up with a person by way of the internet. People should know the real you from the way you act in person, not through a screen.

It’s also a straight up distraction. We get so caught up in it that we can spend hours upon hours doing nothing but being on our phone scrolling. But what gets accomplished? Nothing. You won’t get your homework done and you won’t study, and you’ll soon regret how much time you spent avoiding it. It’s also lame to be hanging out with your friends and everyone’s eyes are glued to their phone screens. What’s the fun in that?

But perhaps the worst thing about social media is the pointless drama that can be found. Whether it’s Twitter fights or negative comments on pictures, drama seems to be inescapable. People get brave behind their phones and are willing to say anything without really thinking of the consequences. But unlike a verbal, face-to-face argument, what you put on the internet will stay for good. And most people don’t want to be remembered as the one who always gets into drama on the internet, or puts their personal beef online. It’s just unnecessary.

I’m not encouraging anyone to delete every single social media account they have and never look back. I will still post a tweet or a picture to Instagram/Facebook because I still enjoy it. I just think everyone, including myself, should try to limit their usage, and really remember that most of this won’t matter in five years (or less). Learn to take a break from social media, find something else to engulf yourself in that you love. Read a couple of books, watch documentaries, go to the gym and work out- just be proactive. You’ll find yourself happier that you don’t feel the need to be on social media at all times. Every other generation before us didn’t have phones to play on all the time and still were able to have fun and keep themselves busy; we can do it too.