Texan Mosaic

by KACI LIVINGSTON//Staff Writer

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat are social media apps that bring people together but disconnect from society.

A room with dozens of other people should be inviting. Yet with the popularity of smart phones and multiple social media sites, it is the exact opposite. Almost every person in that room is in a completely different world, zeroed in on the newest Facebook video or checking out that Instagram-famous girl’s feed.

Many things are affected by the over-use of social media- relationships, self-esteem, real-life interaction, just to name a few. Relationships can be negatively impacted by simply spending too much time online and not enough time paying attention to the significant other. Jealousy issues also can arise from “liking” a picture, still having an ex on a friends list or sending a friend request to someone of the opposite sex. The rise of social media involvement also has raised the amount of distrust in a relationship.

Self-esteem can be lowered by the numerous ads for Kylie Jenner’s newest lip-kit featuring her perfect winged eyeliner, a struggle in itself. Perhaps a blogger who is happy with her form while working out must let everyone know. Either of these situations can lead to a decline in confidence from envy of wanting that new lipstick that is simply out of a normal person’s price range, or simply because the yearn to have a perfect body isn’t attainable overnight.  Not everyone who posts a perfect life has that. People tend to post the better version of themselves online. So even though the flawless makeup and bright white teeth are seen by followers, what isn’t seen are the 30 other pictures that may or may not have resembled a troll doll or something equally unappealing.

Although all of the previous points are equally as important, the most obnoxious thing about the social media takeover is real-life interaction.

Being raised by a generation that didn’t have the world in the palm of their hand, it was common courtesy to pay attention to someone for the entire interaction. These days, it is fairly uncommon to see two people sitting down for dinner with both parties off of their phone, enjoying the entirety of one another’s presence. Date nights consist of telling the world how great of a time you are having, only not to the other party who is in the moment. Even in class, there are a number of students who essentially tune out their instructors to see what is going on in the world outside of class.

There are many negative aspects of social media, yet there are still some positives. Connecting with grandparents, rekindling long lost friendships, and fast communication are a few examples. Nana, Nonna, Grandma and Gigi all love seeing what is going on in their precious grandchild’s life, from relationships to weekend fun.

Old friendships that may have drifted as a result of moving away for college can still endure through seeing what is going on in each other’s daily lives. Sending a tweet his or her way every once in a while will let him or her know they are still thought of, even if communication on a daily basis is not possible. That leads to the next point, faster communication. Although some enjoy casual telephone conversations, there are others who would much rather get straight to the point of the conversation. Through social media, it is easy to post about a necessity or what is desired, and allows others to see without a meandering phone call.

Social media can be both bad and good. It just depends on the person using it and the amount of time spent on it.