The Chewing Gum of the Internet

Have you ever sat in gum? Well I have. Not to mention that it happened in my favorite white dress! The neon-colored gum stubbornly weaved itself into the stitching of my dress, making it nearly impossible for any cleaner, any treatment, or any cleaning method to remove this horrid, sticky substance.

Why is this relevant to the internet you may be asking? What if I told you that social media is the chewing gum of the internet? What if I told that it sticks to us and leaves remnants that make it hard if not impossible to get rid of?

Social media looks glamorous. It's the thing everyone couldn't wait to sign up for and it's the thing they still can't wait to log into each and every day. It's the place where people share their own lives and where they second-handedly experience others'. But what happens when the strain of keeping up with every social media platform just becomes overwhelming and overbearing?

In my personal experience, I would love to get rid of social media. I would love to not have to worry about it- about keeping up, fitting in, trying to keep everything together. However, social media is also where I store my pictures, my memories. It is a keepsake of my past. While I feel trapped in the need to keep my social media because it is a keepsake, I also have this feeling because it helps me stay connected to others that I am not always able to see and talk to.

What is the solution to this rather sticky social media dilemma? The dilemma between wanting to give it up because it can at times be consuming and overwhelming and wanting to keep it because of the memories and the connection?

The answer is having the right balance. It's about moderation. It's about knowing you don't have to do it all. For my dress, I had to take it to the professionals- the Dry Cleaners. For social media, perhaps we just need to let it go. Let go of the stress and the fear of missing out. We need to just simply enjoy it- enjoy the connection, enjoy the sharing- but also remember to enjoy the real-life moments. We also need to remember that we don't have to be connected via social media all day every day.

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