“Today more than ever it’s easy to get caught up in the distractions that social media provides. With just the touch of a finger you can reach anyone in the world, scroll up-to-the minute news and search recipes for dinner while listening to songs from your favorite artists. While accessibility is alluring, however, it has its disadvantages. As people attempt to connect with the world, they are becoming more disconnected from themselves and each other, and living in a false reality that is laden with heavy, unnecessary pressures.

According to Cornell University’s Steven Strogatz, engaging in social media makes it hard to discern between our real relationships and those formed through the various outlets through social media(1). A false reality is created as a result of frequently interacting with “friends,” many of whom are obtained instantaneously. Focusing on the quantity of virtual friends directly affects our ego and psychological state; what we value simply becomes nothing more than a numbers game. Thus we focus less on our real relationships and the most important one, which is the relationship with ourselves.”

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