hey facebook, you're okay

(photo from tumblr) 

so lately, i've seen too many buzzfeed videos and blogposts about how social media is eating away our society slowly;

facebook is turning us into sociopaths

twitter is turning us into simple minded idiots only capable of thinking in 144 characters

instagram is distracting us from real life

tinder is destroying our generation for "real dating" 

snapchat is only being used for porn

blah blah blah blah blah

and frankly, i'm tired of it. i'm going to tell you all of the reasons social media makes me happy. because honestly, i like having places where I can scroll through thousands of pictures all day. i love beautiful things and beautiful people and places. heck, i even love beautifully arranged food. i love learning about people through captions. i love having a place that i can publicly and without shame share my life and my thoughts and my talents that i'm working on developing.

so what if people will write things in text that they would never say out loud? why do you think i have a blog? you think i want to talk to all you people about my deepest darkest places? i love learning about people by wondering why they used that word in that place. what kind of people use "haha" vs "lol". 

i think this selfie nation is a wonderful thing. i love seeing a world of beautiful people finally seeing their beauty. i wish everyone would take selfies. i want to know what makes you feel like you deserve to have your face plastered upon everyone's screens. 

stop being ashamed of our generation. we are an amazing race of humans that are finding something new every single day. we are growing together as a world and as people. we're all just people and the closer we get the more we can love. so no, i don't talk to that cheerleader from highschool, but i won't tell you i'm not interested in where she's at five years later. i love being able to talk to people i know, and even ones i don't, that are a little too far away to shake hands with. i have met some of the most talented people i know and some of the best friends i have through radio waves and wi-fi signals.

go on a date with the cute boy from tinder. not everyone is a total creep. just most of them. if for nothing else, do it for the sheer entertainment. some of my greatest mother-daughter bonding moments have been sitting with my mom harshly judging others. kidding. kind of. and also, i've made some super cool (and okay they're pretty cute too) friends who i probably would have never known existed had i not "swiped right".

okay fine, yes. there are people who abuse it and misuse it. there are scary people out there. there are catfish. there are people who overuse it and grow dependent on it. i will never deny that. as our world grows more amazing it also grows more dangerous. i will always medially socialize with caution and you should too. don't get consumed. after you peruse, get up and go on a hike and actually make eye contact with people.

but i think you know what i'm trying to say. don't fight them. join them. download snapchat. there's someone out there who cares about your trip to the petting zoo or your new haircut. and if it's important to you, don't be afraid to let us all know. 

to socializers with love,

autumn nicole