Why I've Distanced Myself From Social Media

I absolutely love the internet. It's inspired me to embrace creativity, express myself and even pursue my dreams. Since I started blogging at the age of 14, so many things have changed. Before there was a pure focus on content solely. Whereas now, as a blogger or even a millennial, there's an expectation to be active on the socials and really showcase your personality and lifestyle. It's a beautiful thing being able to connect with so many, but how truly connected are we?


Social media has many perks. It's lovely being able to create friendships with people living across the world and keep in touch with old ones too. I like seeing and interacting with people's thoughts and opinions, and exploring their personal canvas on their feeds. You're really able to document stages of your life and that's a beautiful thing. But for me personally, posting and documenting every inch of my life for the public to see is not something I want to do.  I've always had reservations when it comes to sharing the details of my life online. There are certain memories I selfishly want to keep to myself and the people who were there with me. I don't want to let the entire world know what I'm doing and thinking every waking hour of the day.

When I'm at a party, a book signing or even just hanging out with friends, I want to be able to sit down and enjoy the conversations around me; truly immerse myself in the experience, rather than snapchat and tweet all about it. I want to be present in that very moment and enjoy all it has to offer. I've seen so many people around me interrupt value time with their friends just to take multiple pictures of their surroundings, track the number of likes on their insta feed, and have other conversations on their phone in the middle of a conversation. Why spend time collecting pictures of memories that hold little or no substance just to fill your social media feed? 

Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with taking pictures to capture the moment. Heck, I do it all the time. But I don't want the content and superficial numbers to dominate my surroundings. The past year away from blogging truly gave me perspective. While I'll always dabble and explore the world of the interwebs, I don't want to live out my life solely online. I want to spend as much time connecting with the world around me and making quality relationships and memories. 

If I'm so caught up in my own little bubble and virtual world, how can I truly enjoy and experience the world around me? I want to be present in the moment with the people I love and those who have yet to meet.

Can anyone else relate? Do you disagree? I'm curious to know what you think!