Let’s think back when we were kids playing on the fields during recess, poking our crushes, having two hour telephone calls filled with giggles and smiles, and having a warm and nice family dinner without the distraction of technological devices—we were legitimately happy. We didn’t care to think about who has the nicest jeans, or who can afford a pair of Steve Madden heels; we cared more about the essence of real physical human interaction that is untouched by the influence of materialism and consumerism through social media.
With the increasing popularity of social media like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, we are consuming a culture that is filled with the desire of objects and things influenced by ads, billboards, celebrity figures, etc. Therefore, our perception of this society becomes a desire to consume for our pursuit of happiness, but this happiness will only be a temporary and a short-term gratitude. As human beings, we are never satisfied with the stuff we purchase because we are constantly longing for more and by consuming the idea of fashion trends, images on social media and advertisements that impact our decisions, which have an astounding effect on the control of our happiness.
My point is, in this culture of “texting” and consumer cycle, we should never forget about the human essence of traditional love and to really start having quality time with our friends and family rather than looking down at your phones. Us human beings should look back on the days of our childhood memories where we were not heavily influenced by devices. We should remember the days how we interacted with our family and friends physically than in cyberspace. We should look back on how we had quality family dinners and a nice lunch with our friends without constantly looking or scrolling through social media sites because realistically, what is the point? To feel worse about ourselves that we don’t get to have what these false images represent? So let’s not forget about real love in this world of chaos embedded by technology.