I was on Facebook, when I came across a video that my friends were sharing like crazy. Since it seemed so popular on the Internet, I decided I would watch it. I clicked on the video and it impacted me more than I expected.
Youtuber, Prince Ea, posted the above video in hopes of spreading some much needed advice. He uses spoken word to express the increased obsession and reliance on electronics and social media and how much it negatively impacts our everyday lives. He even throws in some statistics – for example: The average person spends four years of their life looking down at their cell phone. That is a LONG time. Imagine all the amazing things you could accomplish if you spent a little less time catching up on every social media app that you have, or if you spent less time watching Netflix.
Other than catching my attention with the statistics that he shares, the various scenes of couples and friends spending time together but paying more attention to their phones really hit me hard. I know that I love spending time with my friends, but I realized how much time I truly spend on my phone when I am with them. In the moment, you don’t realize how much you are on your phone or how it could make the other person feel. Is something on your phone really more important than who you’re with?
Another part of this video that I love is the mention of self-worth. He says that how we measure self-worth has changed and people are basing it on how many likes or retweets they can get. This is unbelievably horrible and it will only lead to an increase in low self esteem amongst people, especially teenagers and young adults. Ultimately, social media and electronics will only bring you down this way. You are much more than a picture you posted on Instagram or a tweet you sent out.
This spoken word is eye opening. It will take time for me to teach myself to rely less on my electronics and to live in the moment and appreciate the world, but it will be a positive life change. It is always said that life is short and it’s definitely too short to spend four years of your life looking down at your phone when you could be spending it enjoying the beauty of Earth and the joy of spending time with loved ones.