F.O.M.O.

I really do enjoy Snapchat; it’s my favorite form of social media. I find it a convenient medium to express one’s self and I dig its transient nature. Despite this, I can’t help but think that it has pernicious effects on me personally.

Humans universally seek acceptance and, whether we’re conscious of it or not, we implicitly understand that what we post on Snapchat is a reflection of ourselves. Many of the moments we choose to capture and share are our most remarkable ones; we record what we believe will portray us as interesting and cool.

I’m not advocating that people should post their dull moments so that I have a more realistic depiction of their lives. I think our tendency to capture what’s unique is only natural. My issue lies with when we watch other people’s stories. If we post on Snapchat when life’s exciting, we watch it when life’s boring; this creates an unhealthy dichotomy.

For example, Chicago’s winters suck; they’re cold and dreary and it can be difficult to leave the house. My family, albeit middle class, doesn’t have the means to visit Mexico when the snow starts to fall (thank you for paying for my college Mom & Dad). Thus, I tend to be homebound for most of my college break. This really isn’t that bad at all, we have HVAC, but when I open my iPhone and see my friends are in Miami I can’t help but think I’m missing out somehow.

Eastern Philosophy will tell you that our happiness will appear once we let go of the ego. By ego, I don’t mean a cocky attitude but our sense of self; that distinction we create between “me”, “you” and “her”. This is initially an absurd concept but upon further review it has profound consequences.

In the Four Noble Truths, the Buddha teaches that the root of suffering is desire. When we seek acceptance, we find rejection; when we chase success, we catch failure. See, whether you agree with it or not, the Buddha is arguing that our desires are transient, and it would be foolish to desire any object that’s impermanent; if anything, this yearning only distracts us from the present moment.

I know it seems as if I’ve strayed from the point, but I promise it’ll come full-circle. In those moments when I’m in alone in my cold basement and I look at my friends tanning under the sun somewhere, I can’t help but compare myself to them. The ego swells and I find myself thinking my life’s monotonous and theirs is thrilling. But all I have is the Here and Now and when I’m staring at Snapchat, I find myself caught up in the comparisons that the Buddha warned me I’d be happier to go without. I’m committing the biggest sin of all; I’m forsaking the present moment.

So, I should delete the app, but I don’t. Like I said, I do find Snapchat entertaining and I like using it to express my self. I border on the line of quixotic and I think there’s a median between deleting it and being overly sensitive to it. I simply remind myself that people post at their peeks and when I’m bored, I’m better off avoiding Snapchat. If I don’t watch your stories, please don’t take it personally.