By the Baron Banner Editorial Board
When everyone has a smartphone in their hand, no one bats an eye at all the photos being taken of the avocado toast at the newest hipster joint. Without thinking, we pull out our phones and document everything around us, from participating in Vlogmas on Snapchat to posting graduation pictures on Facebook. In documenting and sharing every waking moment, we’ve grown desensitized to the power of creating and viewing an endless swirl and scroll of images.
Parents and teachers constantly mock us for being glued to our phone screens, and they have a point. According to a study by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences Selfie, over 250 people have died taking selfies since 2011, and of these people, over 85 percent were under 30 years old. It seems almost obvious that we shouldn’t go to such far extremes for comments and likes, but when influencers like Logan Paul videotape themselves next to the corpse of a suicide victim and post it on online expecting positive feedback, it’s no wonder why adults view us as apathetic and self-centered millennials.
The very fact that we call these Internet personalities “influencers” is indicative of how we view all media. When creators are known for the influence they have and not for their creations, they lose sight of why they create in the first place, and it feeds a culture of “doing it for the views,” influencing society’s values on social media. If we bring this philosophy of creating into adulthood, the consequences of our decisions carry a greater weight.
But we can be better than that, and we need to prove the adults who jeer at our “impressionability” wrong.
The simple solution? Know when to use your phone. If you’re crossing the street or driving, divert your focus from your newsfeed to your surroundings. If you’re done taking a test, respect your fellow students and teacher by keeping to yourself rather than broadcasting how hard or easy that test was to the next period. If you’re eating dinner with your family or hanging out with your friends, stop socializing online and socialize with the people in front of you. And trust us when we say that your followers do not need nor want to be updated on your bathroom experience.
In other words, use your brain, not your phone.
The need to record every event clouds our judgment, and we post anything that we deem amusing in the slightest. And when something major happens, it feels only natural to document it. Sometimes, people forget the impact their decisions have on others, be it sharing explicit photos or recording fights instead of intervening.
Be aware of the power that these videos and photos have when they’re shared. Remember that everything you post is a direct reflection of your character and the depths you’re willing to sink to for some fleeting popularity.
