Social media plays a huge role in the daily lives of many Americans, however, the difference in how people view it and interact with it can be quite different depending on which generation they are.
The difference between our generation and previous generations is that we grew up with social media. We grew up with texting, smartphones, and various social media platforms. Despite this, adults waste no time in telling us how much time we spend on our phones, and how that time could be spent doing more important things such as conversing with people face-to-face.

I do not completely disagree with them, but I don’t think that it is completely our fault. The truth is, social media, and being on your phone in general, can be very addictive. Adults know of a life without cell phones, apps, and social media, so it is easier for them to feel like we spend too much time on our phones and using these platforms. This is why they tell us to get off of our phones and talk to actual people. But the question is, does all of this use of social media negatively affect the social lives of kids and teens?

At parties, and other events, a lot of people, me included, are more concerned with Snapchatting it and posting pics, than actually living in the moment. The beauty of social media is that we can look back on these moments, these fun times. Of course, the downside is that it is very consuming, and, it’s true, we are not really living in the moment. Our generation seems to be more concerned with chronicling the moment instead of enjoying it.

If this trend continues in society, as social media advances, people’s social skills will probably worsen. I fear that we will fully rely on social media to communicate with others, and that will be enough for us. I don’t want it to be normalized to not have long, and healthy conversation with our families, and peers,
I was born in the early 2000’s, and I saw the start of social media popularity; but I also remember a time before it became popular. I worry for future generations about their abilities to hold conversations without being on their phones at the same time. Talking to friends on the phone are the days of old, however FaceTime is still popular – for now.