Laying on the beach and soaking up the sun I watched the clouds float and shift form above me like any one would, or so I thought.
As I looked around, I counted six people around me staring into the big blue world of Instagram and Facebook on their small shiny smart phones.
The addition to technology is no ground braking discovery but it was a moment of self realization. Here I am sitting on the beautiful beaches of Carlsbad some can only dream of, and everywhere around me people are passing it up to refresh their news feeds for the twentieth time in the hour.
The question comes up of how rewarding the social media experience is. So many people feel this need to constantly check what is going on even when they know nothing has happened since three minutes ago when they last looked on Facebook. So why do we constantly check?
I myself can admit to falling into the cyber world of places like Facebook as well, which is even easier to access now in app form. However this new accessibility does not benefit in any way, rather it becomes more of a problem. Facebook, Tumblr, and Instagram are a constant place to avoid real work and real life connections. It has become more of a priority to see when our "friends" repost meaningless videos that barely get a chuckle out of you.
Although no one is expected to go without social media apps, check yourself. Perhaps consider (gasp!) turning the smart phone off. Even an hour or so can help. Take your eyes off the screen and enjoy the real big blue world in front of you.
