Social Media is Bittersweet

Growing up in generation Z, I have been taught to use all the latest technology as it got released. From the first iPhone to advanced technology like coding, I have seen all of it unfold. I was not allowed on social media until I was about fourteen and for good reason. My first interactions with social media were cyberbullying. I am just thankful my older sister had Facebook and could catch the bullies. I had a secret Instagram when I was a tween that I posted whatever I wanted, and again I am so thankful for my sister because she didn’t expose it to my parents. Throughout high school I loved using Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram, and Vine. Tumblr was the first to go due to its intense and dark media shared on the site. Then, Vine got deleted, I was devastated. Fast forward to the year 2020, pre-pandemic, and TikTok takes the place of Vine. When the pandemic hit, I was left with nothing but my phone. Since then, my screen time has almost tripled. I was addicted to always having something playing on my phone as if I could not be alone with my thoughts. That is when I made the decision to delete a couple of apps from my phone. I deleted Instagram, Twitter, and I only go on Snapchat once a day. A month ago, one day would be 10 hours of screen time. Today I have lowered it to about 6 hours of screen time a day. I am not always on my phone when it is on, however. Sometimes I have music open, or I am falling asleep to a TV show. It is hard to fill the day without mindlessly scrolling. Instead, I try to get outside for at least an hour, do something creative or read my book, and I have been taking on small projects the less I feel controlled by my phone. So, if you have been looking for a sign, this is yours to cut the screen time down! If it were easy, nobody would be glued to their phones like they are.