My Relationship with Social Media 😳 - 11/18/19

As a teen growing up in the 21st century, media is a big part of my life. Ever since I was born, media has evolved in many ways, social media especially.  81% of all teens use social media, and 70% use it daily.  Personally, I can agree that I use a form of media daily.  Last week, my average screen time was 9 hours and 42 minutes, and my daily average for Snapchat alone was 3 hours and 3 minutes. I can definitely admit that I have an addiction to my phone, however I don't think my relationship with my phone is positive or negative.  I really only use my phone to talk to my friends, and keep up with people I haven't spoken to in a while on Instagram.  However, this often interferes with my ability to stay focused while doing homework or studying for a test. This doesn't mean I can't live without my phone.  I know when I should and should not use my phone, and I can take my mind off of my phone when needed (like during class or at a party). It is only when I feel I have nothing better to do I check my phone every 1 or 2 minutes. Older generations see this as an "unhealthy addiction" to phones or technology in general. I disagree and I believe that it's because of the difference between how people in my generation and their generation grew up and interact. People in older generations grew up communicating by letter, or by phone. For my generation, the primary source of communication with others is through phones and social media. If letters were able to be sent and delivered instantly, I know that older people would be constantly sending letters, and now we can through texts. Therefore, phones and media are not the negative things many people see them to be.