This was the summer to limit screen time.
Cellphones on silent was my tagline.
In many ways, I pretended like it was a time long ago, before iPhones ruled the world. I used summer as an opportunity to put my phone away and touch grass.
Don’t get me wrong. Of course there were days I snapped pictures, ran to Google to fact check, used my calculator — because I’m a writer, not a mathematician — and so on and so forth. Our phones are convenient tools that help us in a multitude of ways.
It’s the social media platforms I largely avoided.
This summer was the first time in a long time I went days, even weeks, without posting consistently to my Instagram. I haven’t known a life where a variety of media doesn’t exist. Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, TikTok have all dominated my days. Social media has become a major part of society as a whole.
When I was younger, I thought anyone who bashed social media was just a hater. However, it was their approach I found unfavorable; overall, their debate had some fair points. Like a lot of things in life, social media has the power to be both beneficial and disadvantageous. These apps provide users everywhere with the virtual power to promote positivity or negativity.
Where I stand with social media today is simple. I see many pros. I think it’s great for networking, business opportunities, staying in touch with friends and family and sharing educational resources and life hacks. For example, we’ve all seen the birthday cake cutting videos.
Not to mention, social media has opened doors for thousands who didn’t formerly have access to certain people, places and things. I’ve seen stories of women who could leave abusive situations because they were able to make their own income through TikTok.
I’ll never discount the positive side. However, it’s overshadowed all too often by negative images and comments where the triggering content lives.
I could go without seeing overexposed celebrities, the harmful portrayal of body image, online predators, videos of the ugliest parts of our history that are repeating itself and the hate that still is prevalent in our world.
On a somewhat unserious but serious note, my latest pet peeve is how we’ve lost the element of surprise regarding cinema. Over the last week you can’t scroll without seeing images or videos of “The Devil Wears Prada” sequel. Unfortunately, there have been spoilers galore due to onlookers’ social media posts.
Filming in public, especially on the busy streets of New York, is not like it was during the original production in 2005. Seeing Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway on West 39th Street was special. A decade later, people are reliving that experience, but this time around they’ve brought their smartphones and are ruining it for the rest of us.
Anyone can be a paparazzi these days. By the time the movie actually hits theaters, we’ll already have seen most of the film, including any scenes that were meant to be a surprise.
Social media can be a rollercoaster of emotions. One minute you’re laughing, the next you’re crying, then nostalgia creeps up on you unlocking memories you were happy to forget.
You ultimately have control over what holds space in your life. If you want to take little breaks offline, you can. If you want to retire from the apps forever, go for it.
While I never see myself deactivating social media, I will continue taking breaks.
As seen in the documentary “Billy Joel: And So It Goes,” the legendary Joel once said, “I would like to retire from my public life.”
Sting said, “There’s a time when you have to be silently stoic.” Both sentiments resonate with me. As I said before, cellphones on silent.
Ava Francis is a 22-year-old journalism major from New Orleans residing in Texas.
