Navigating My Generation with No Social Media

07.14.19
Navigating My Generation with No Social Media (Photo: mikroman6/Getty Images)

I’m 20 years old and don’t have a Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram account. I didn’t forget to jump on the hype train, I refused my ticket.

I was 16 when I noticed my friends joining social media. And I made a conscious decision to ignore it. Call me old school, but I never found any flavor in talking through dm’s, posts and tweets. I prefer talking to people face to face. 

But even when my friends and I see each other in person, they spend hours talking about things they learned on social media. They go on and on about someone’s new relationship or who is throwing another party. I’m often outside the loop. 

When my friends and I visited a lake a while ago, I couldn’t wait to take a dip in the water. I dove right in, but everyone else was sitting at the campsite, glued to their screens. They hardly enjoyed the lake. Who exactly is missing out then?

My efforts to connect with my friends seem pointless when they’re stuck to their phones. Social media is such a powerful force — it still gets in my way — even though I’ve opted out. 

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