Break

As I'm sure the majority of you know by now, I've given up social media for some time so I'm going to try to keep this brief. And I just wanted to clarify some things because I think some people might be confused. I haven't done this to be "cool" or "edgy", or for attention or even because of Essena O'Neill. I did this because I didn't see the point in telling people what had for breakfast or why I love that TV show, showing them what I bought the other week or where I went on holiday. I didn't see the point in sending a picture of myself to my friends or uploading videos, updating my profile picture or following someone online. I feel as though I had become absorbed into a world that made no sense. When I listen to conversations around me I hear, "I wonder how my post is doing" or "did you see that latest vine", and don't get me wrong - I think that social media is a great way of connecting to other people all over the globe and making new friends, but sometimes, it gets too much.

I mentioned earlier the name Essena O'Neill and I think it would be unfair to suggest that she hasn't opened my eyes to the world around us. She is a brave person who has done something incredible for our generation and I think she will go on to do amazing things. However I didn't wake up one day, saw what she did and thought I would do the same. Essena's case is very different from mine as she has a huge influence on how people perceived her through social media and used social media as a form of income. For me it was just a space to express myself and my thoughts but over time it genuinely became a small obsession. I am not as addicted to these platforms as it might appear considering I decided to take a break from them all, but I would check my phone several times an hour simply to see what was going on and when you step back and think, it seems excessive and ridiculous. Essena has said she feels like she missed out on so much through her teen years because of her high volume of time spent social networking, whereas luckily I couldn't say I agree with that. I was lucky because I had other interests that didn't require me to want to post about them, such as visiting exhibitions in London, or taking photos and writing blog posts which meant that I have been able to explore different things that I love to do and enjoy. So why quit then? I think because soon, it would become a problem where I will miss out on what's going on around me. I have a huge passion for living life how you want and looking after our planet and one day I'll be gone. So I'm going to try and make a difference with the time I have left (this is a long term plan - I haven't planned to solve world peace by the end of next week).

It may seem naive that I have given up social media at a time when it is the most current and growing industry with jobs constantly forming. However, for me, life is not all about getting the job and making money - which I think is clear considering I am pursuing my interest in Photography which is basically going to make me unemployable - because it's about living life and not trying to present yourself in the best and most "interesting" way to everyone around you.

If you've made it this far then well done! Thank you for taking time out of your day to read my reasoning behind why I decided to take this break. But also want you to also think about your time spent on social media and the contributions you are making to the world around you. I think it's sad when we look out our post and say that was shit because it only got 60 likes, I think its actually kind of shallow. And I'm not trying to direct this at anyone, because I was definitely a part of this, and I am in no way trying to emphasise that giving up social media is a big deal because frankly, it's not. There is no achievement in deciding not to post on Instagram or tweet how my day went because truthfully that's just fucking normal.

I'm not trying to shut myself off from the world, I'm just trying to live in it. And as my slogan seems to be recently: if you need me, text me.

Take a look at what Essena plans to do here: LetsBeGameChangers.com