Social Media

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Social media has become the most popular pastime in the world. Seriously! From blogging to Instagram to Pinterest to YouTube to Facebook, everyone’s on and wants to know what’s going down in the world.

There are many positive things associated with social media viewing:

• Keeping in touch with friends.
• Faster communication between people you don’t know.
• Faster information than ever before.
• Gives you inspiration and ideas for fun projects.
• It’s a mindless activity to help you relax (Some people do this … not me.)
• YouTube has made it super easy to listen to music.

Unfortunately, not everything about social media is peaches-and-cream. A host of problems could arise, like:

• Getting addicted and spending WAY too much time on it.
• Getting screen neck (from bending over to much)
• Getting headaches and problem skin from the blue light.
• Feeling badly that you don’t look like those other (photoshopped, hint hint) people, or have the idealistically perfect life that they have (again, “photoshopped”, hint hint!!!)

Why do people go on social media? To connect with others (or get inspired.) But studies have shown that online relationships don’t fill up your emotional tank so much as a real, physical relationship (I’m talking about real friendships here!)

I think that as long as people are using social media in order to …

a. Connect with people they already know,

b. Grow their business (or learn about their work), or

c. Learn about something important, or something they’re interested in,

… then it’s alright. But if people aren’t setting time limits on how long they can be on a social media platform, or are surfing the net (too often I have done so and regretted it!), or have spent too long  sitting down that their legs fall asleep or they miss out on the awesome world right in front of them and forget to live the way we were made to … Then it’s just SAD, PEOPLE!!

So here’s a plan of action that I challenge you to follow up on …

1. Spend only 5-10 minutes a day on each social media platform you’re involved in (this includes Facebook and homeschool forums. Does not include personal emails, but does include group hangouts.) Feel free to spread these minutes around.

2. Get up every half-hour of sitting at the computer and move around.

3. No matter what you do, DO NOT SURF THE NET!! This tires you out and makes you lazy and unproductive.

4. Do this for a few days. See how you feel. After this, increase your social media time but not by much. Only do what is really important to you.

It’s important to remember to take EVERYTHING in moderation. Social media itself is not the bad guy … over-use is. We are a race of variety – put a little spice in your life! Act like a pauper, think like a prince. This means to work hard, but work with a goal. You are awesome … so act that way! Don’t imprison yourself by the standards that bodybuilder-YouTubers or Instagram baddies live by. Be free from the hold of the world!

Stay awesome, y’all!

Makayla

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