The Spread

By Teryn Payne

It’s official! Technology is now apart of an everyday lifestyle. No matter what a person’s profession is or what kind of lifestyle they live, I can almost bet they have to use the Internet.

Not only do people frequently use the Internet, but more specifically social media. Social media can be used as a tool for networking, communication and even a source for news. It has been argued that technology is ruining the minds of young adults and teens all over America.

Although social media can be a good thing, it can also have a negative effect on people and can even be addicting. How many hours a day should we spend on social media? How much is too much?

Sometimes I scroll down my timeline on Instagram and see pictures of my friend’s dinner, or their shoe choice and think, “was this necessary to post?”

Social Media cannot only be distracting but can also take away from the simplicities of life. If a picture or a tweet captures every moment, how valuable do these times become?

If all of your Instagram friends can see these precious moments, then are they still considered precious?

Young American teens look to Twitter for their source of news before any other newspaper or station. An inaccurate tweet can spread all over cyberspace and make everyone believe that it is true. Twitter has killed many celebrities by false rumors being spread. Stars like Kyle Massey and Adam Sandler were inaccurately reported dead from Twitter.

Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are just a few of the social networking sites that young adults use. Instagram has updated their app and you can now upload 14 second videos, and since then, everything is captured with a picture or a video and uploaded to the Internet. Now, what’s trending is the wave of “selfies.”

A “selfie” can be defined as portrait of yourself using the front camera on your phone.

“More than half of the pictures I have on my Instagram page could be considered selfies”, said Lauryn Payne, a freshmen the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. The UI student and my very own, cousin classifies herself as an “instagoddess.” An “instagoddess” is a young woman between the ages of 18-25 that receives an average of 100 likes on her Instagram photos.

“When I get over 100 likes I feel a celebrity,” said Payne, the #selfiequeen.

Social media can consume someone by them having the app on their phone and constantly checking their accounts on the computer.

“Sometimes I find myself waking up and grabbing my phone to check my Instagram account before I put my feet on the ground,” said Payne.

If you feel that you might be addicted to social networking try to limit yourself on the amount times you check your Facebook account or how many pictures you upload pictures you upload to Instagram a week.

Social Media is a great invention but getting addicted can have some negative consequences. After all too much of a good thing becomes bad for you. With the overuse of technology it is important to preserve the simplicity of life.