Social media has been an everyday part of most young people’s lives since the dawn of MySpace. It has grown and evolved.
However the most interesting and recent development in social media norm are the list articles. You know exactly what I’m talking about too since you probably read one just this morning.
These articles try to tell you why you’re going to be single the rest of your life and why you and your BFF are “literally the same person.”
Some of the most notable articles I’ve seen recently are “Top 12 Worst Trends that Somehow Came Back into Style,” “10 Real Reasons Why you’re Still Single,” “15 Things to Know Before Dating a Rugby Player,” and so on.
These crackpot articles may be fun to read and give us all a good laugh, but they really shouldn’t be taken seriously. Despite what you may think, some people do take these articles very seriously.
Just the other day I was walking in the halls, minding my own business when I overheard a few freshmen talking. Their topic of conversation? The 10 things best friends supposedly do together that make them soul mates.
The funniest part was they were arguing with each other as to why they don’t do all of the things on the list.
We live in a world that is suffering from a disillusioned reality and think that if some article on Facebook says their man is cheating on them or their best friend is actually their lesbian lover, they believe it. No questions asked.
This isn’t to say everyone believes what they read on the Internet, I’ve read a few of these articles myself and have gotten a good laugh.
But to take it as absolute truth, is a little too far.
We need to remember exactly what these articles are: a comic relief that can be relatable and puts a brief smile on your face. These aren’t the end-all be-all of social norms and regulations, and it’s crazy to think some people think this way.
I believe a reason some accept these articles as truth is because they are everywhere. Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest have hundreds of these articles flooding peoples feeds every day.
The simple solution? Disconnect from social media for a day.
 
Talk to your friends. Make memories. Live in the real world for once instead of the virtual world where reality is defined by crackpot articles, likes and tweets.
 
Log off, back away from the computer, tablet or smart phone and just live for once.
 
Go ride a bike for the first time since you were twelve or go on a target adventure with your best friends. Do something spontaneous and out of the ordinary.
 
You’d be surprised at what’s just outside your door.