Entry 2 (Day Two of the Fast): The Implications

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 Unfortunately, I believe I do have a sort of addiction to social media. During the fast, I found an example of this. I found myself wanting to scroll on TikTok or Instagram, and since I could not, I would instead go on other websites in an attempt to scroll. If anything, I actually cheated a bit, being as I began excessively checking my Email, just so I could scroll! The sensation of scrolling and anticipation led me to find myself reading the same email headings over and over again, refreshing my feed even though my email was generally only flooding with ads, promotions, and other general scams. Nothing really all that interesting was happening, not for simply 48 hours. Sure, a few emails and announcements from my professors came in to my school email, but as for my person email, there was nothing overly alarming. 

    I think my life with or without social media would have some easier and harder aspects. I think social media makes it easier to feel relevant because it is quick, and the news, entertainment, and other forms of videos and photos are handed to you right away. I believe that social media also tends to help others connect, whether it is laughing about the same viral video, or 'inside joke' that is spreading across a specific platform. While I might find myself at times feeling left out or excluded if I decided to completely cut out social media, there's always a friend or other individual that can explain something to me. For example, if there was a viral image of a dog going around social media that I had not seen, I can easily ask another friend who uses social media to show it to me, or even 'google' it, just to see what it's all about. This prevents the scrolling and scrolling that comes after. Because I will admit, once I look at one video or picture, I usually scroll to another one. It's the anticipation of wanting to know what will be shown next, and wanting to know if I will like it, or if it will anger me, bore me, etc. 

    I believe the use of social media has dramatically influenced personal relationships. I believe it has made a lot of us more lazy, as we tend to quickly view someones profile with a few simple scrolls, because we find it easier and less time consuming than to actually meet with the person or chat with them face to face. This is a bit scary when you really think about it. For example, someone could view my Instagram profile for a minute or two, and decide they do not want to talk to me or be my friend, all while only viewing a small 'snap' of my life, one that has been partially fabricated and filtered. They might think they will not have enough in common with me, because they see how I post and what I like on instagram. When really, if they take the time to actually sit with me and chat, we might have more in common than what appears on a screen. 


Photo One: Taken from my Instagram, more structured, polished and filtered 




Photo Two: Taken directly from my recent camera roll, still slightly structured, but does not follow a theme, has no filters, and is slightly random in some images. 















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