Technology is constantly surrounding us – In our homes, in our cars, at school, at our jobs and in our pockets. It is seemingly unavoidable. Cell phones in particular are so important in today’s society and as sad as it is, most people’s lives would completely fall apart without them. We depend on them for almost everything.
Apps like Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter are constantly used to post about all of the exciting things happening in our lives, but if we are all so concerned about getting the perfect Instagram photo or getting the perfect videos to add to our Snapchat stories, are we really enjoying the moment we’re in? What happens when we take technology out of the picture? Other than the videos and photographs we took at that concert or at that awesome party, what did we take from it? For most people, the answer is nothing.
And that is the problem at hand.
Living in a digital world, it is so easy to dismiss this problem as being “the norm.” Everyone does it so it’s fine, right? But what kind of quality of life is that? Is a life where we are unable to create real life memories because our main concern is how to capture the moment on our cell phones a meaningful one? In the years to come, what stories will we be able to tell our children and our grandchildren? If technology were to fail us and all of those photos and videos were to disappear, would our memories still exist?
I am here to call all of this into thought, and as hard as it is, to ask and hopefully inspire you to make a change. Imagine all of the possibilities and experiences we can allow to happen if we were to just put our phones down and live in the moment we are in. Just by putting our phones away, we instantly become more approachable. Instead of staring at your screen, look around and make eye contact with people! Talk to people. Imagine who you’ll meet when you are out doing something you love, surrounded by others who share your interests!
When you’re front row at that concert with your favorite artist standing right in front of you, put your phone down. Dance! Sing! Look at them and the people around you through your own eyes. Not through your phone screen. Why pay money to see a concert if you are going to end up staring at a screen anyway? You can do that at home, guys. For free. LIVE IN THE MOMENT YOU ARE IN! Soak up every single bit of it. The lights. The scents. The sounds. Everyone around you.
When you’re out at that party, stop snapchatting every single moment and actually enjoy yourself for YOU, not for your snapchat story viewers. Talk to new people, dance with strangers, smile, laugh and enjoy every single minute. This is our youth. This is the time to feel alive and we will never be any younger than we are right now.
When you’re sitting at that coffee shop all alone, stop snapchatting and instagramming! Bring a book, people watch or sit next to someone new and start a conversation! Who knows what will come from that. A coffee buddy, a lifelong friendship or even a romance! You’ll never know unless you take the initiative. These are the things we live for, the things we will remember for the rest of our lives – our experiences.
So put down that phone and make memories. Real ones. One day when you are looking back on your life, reminiscing on all you have seen and done, you will be so glad you did.