I noticed myself watching a group of girls this past weekend as the posed and pouted for the man taking their picture.
I watched as the group next to me at dinner artfully snapped the delectables placed on their table.
All while observing, I found myself (regrettably) almost judging. Why are you taking photos at a time you could be enjoying the time you have in person with the people you’re with?
Is it so you can post it on “the gram” to get recognition that you would not otherwise receive?
Actions like these make me wonder whether the online presence most of us have is an entire separate universe than what we do in person.
I know that when I got an unbelievable amount of likes on a recent Instagram picture I was unbelievably delighted. But would all of those people have judged me when they walked by as the now legendary (LOL) shot was taken? Would all of those people complimented me in person?
Questions like these make me wonder whether I should be so invested in my online presence.
At the end of the day, I feel we could all do better about meshing our online and in-person lives. Spend less time with photo taking or mindless tweeting and instead enjoy what’s going on in front of us.
One of my best friends, Marie does not have an Instagram or Twitter and I see her living in the moment and still being happy without being tied to her phone all the time. Maybe we should take a note from her playbook. Just maybe.