Does anyone talk on the phone anymore? Is that still even a thing? Now that social media has hit an all-time high, the ways of posting and connecting are in and the effort of communication is out. As someone who has grown up with the new technological boosts of society and the birth of social media, it does not surprise me that communication skills among our generation is not that good. Nobody knows how to have a conversation. Face-to-face talking is out and texting/DMing are in.

I have always been a person who likes to have conversations in person more than talking online or in a text, but nowadays, texting on social media is all everyone does. Where’s the genuine interest and conversations that ran the previous generations? What is so hard about having an in-person conversation? Social media, that’s what’s hard.

Social media has allowed us to talk to anyone from anywhere in the world, which is great, but it has hindered our ability to communicate outside of the technological screen. It’s easy to talk over a text because it’s quick and doesn’t require much effort on your end. But texting ruins the genuine conversation that you could have with someone if you were actually speaking to them.

We talk in slang and abbreviations all the time and don’t know how to spell words because spell check does it for us. We are used to sending a text and then picking up the conversation a few days later. We are used to having the technology right at our fingertips 24/7.

Why are we so caught up in our social media? There are so many beautiful things in the world and we are more focused on what someone is posting on Instagram than the things that truly matter. It’s who can get more likes on a picture than who spends time and gets to truly know someone they care about.

Social media sucks, honestly. It has its good moments, but all it is a platform that breeds negativity and changes the way we communicate with each other. We would rather comment (positively or negatively) on someone’s post rather than telling them it straight to their face. Social media creates cowards and allows for negative and hateful comments to be more prominent from the users who hide behind their computer screens.

I’m not trying to bash social media. I am on Snapchat and Instagram a lot, but I know when to take a break and enjoy real life. I can take a step back to appreciate what life has to offer and can have conversations the people that really matter to me. I have had the best conversations that still make me laugh today with my friends and there was not a phone or electronic device in sight.

Some of our best moments and memories are when we put our phones down. Snapchat may have the memories portion, but nothing beats the real-life memories that you created with your friends.

It’s not our fault that social media created a platform that has constrained our real-life connections with others. We were brought up in this world that’s always changing with new technologies, but it’s our job to be better and make the changes we want to make.

Our generation gets a bad rep sometimes, but we are the generation of change. We have the power to make our society better and we are capable of improving on the things we are lacking.

We don’t have to go back to talking on the landline phones like in the olden days, but we can make more of an effort to speak to people outside of the computer screen. It’s not that hard to start a conversation with someone. So, when you see someone you know, or even someone you don’t know, say hi or ask them how their day is.

You will probably make that person’s day. Kindness goes a long way, remember that when you are on social media.