By Derek Hanke
Social media has taken a dominant position in our society today. Websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are used frequently by a large percentage of the youth population.
This has led some individuals to become dependent on them, almost to the point where going without them would be unthinkable.
In order to test the theory that social media can be addictive, two students were given the challenge of going a weekend without them.
Both freshman Rachel Lamb and senior Parker Hale underwent the social media challenge. Lamb initially felt that this task would be an easy one.
Before the Challenge
“Going without Facebook and Twitter won’t impact my life but I’ll probably have to delete the apps of my phone so I don’t use them,” said Lamb.
Hale said that others will not be impacted by the challenge.
“I don’t think my followers will notice my absence,” said Hale.
Both Lamb and Hale think they will be able to go a weekend without social media, although they admit social media plays a large part in their lives.
“Everyone has a Facebook. And, when I get on Twitter, it’s normally so I can have something interesting to do,” said Lamb.
“Social media gives me something to do when I’m bored and keeps me informed about what’s going on,” said Hale.
After the Challenge
Throughout the weekend, Lamb was able to go without social media while Hale was not.
“I forgot about the challenge multiple times over the weekend,” said Hale.
He blamed this lapse of memory on his familiarity with the routine of getting on social media.
“I didn’t really feel the need to get on Twitter or Instagram, I just got on there out of habit,” he said.
Hale says the weekend helped remind him of the frequency he uses social media and its importance to him.
“I get on social media quite a lot. Without it, I felt less informed because I didn’t know what was going on all the time,” said Hale.
Hale refutes the claim that social media is an important part of his life.
“It’s not that it’s an important part of my life; I could definitely go without social media, but it’s something to keep me busy when I’m bored,” he said.
Hale found there was an unexpected benefit to going without social media.
“By not getting on twitter and instagram, doing homework was ten times easier,” Hale said.
Lamb came to better understand the role social media plays in her life.
“This weekend made me realize that Facebook isn’t as important to me as I thought it was,” she said.
Even after this realization, Lamb still felt something was missing.
“I felt less informed that usual; if something went on, I wouldn’t know about it because everyone puts everything on Facebook,” said Lamb.
Lamb reports that she was more social without social media.
“Without Twitter and Facebook, I actually spent more time talking to people,” she said.
While certain individuals are more inclined to use social media than others out of habit, this process can actually hinder the socialization process by making one rely it to socialize instead of direct communication.