“Social media is for idiots!”

“What are you doing?”

“Nothing.”

“It doesn’t seem like nothing. What are you watching?”

“I’m not watching anything. I’m just scrolling.”

“Scrolling what?”

“Facebook, Instagram… social media.”

“Social media is for idiots!”

That is what my dad said four years ago. He used to be so annoyed at me for using my phone, scrolling on Facebook all the time, taking pictures or sending messages. If I got a message during dinner, he would’ve made such a big deal out of it. He would’ve started yelling at everyone and say how disrespectful it is to use your phone while you’re eating. But if you think about it, am I even using my phone if I’m not holding it and I just get a message? I was, in my dad’s point of view. But this was before. This was when social media was for idiots and I was one of them. Everything changed since then.

Now guess who has a Facebook account now; and is also asking me to create an Instagram one for him. Yes, that is the answer, MY DAD! Social media is not for idiots anymore and as he posts everyday I am ‘smart’ now (he’s also really proud of me; after 20 years I did it! Go me!). He is actually enjoying in now. When I was still at home, he would be holding his phone in his hand all the time (it was quite annoying to be totally ignored because of a phone).

That is another thing that social media does. It makes people ignore other people. I have a friend and she’s really funny and everything, she is the type of friend everyone wants, but no one wants her around when she’s connected to the internet. Most of the times when I am with her I try to talk, have a conversation because that’s how you spend quality time with your friend, but she is ALWAYS ignoring me. I talk and it’s like I’m talking to myself; I could talk in front of a mirror and I would still feel better, like someone is actually there with me.

But back to my dad, he is so excited about Facebook that he even convinced my mom to get one; he says it is a good way to express your thoughts. And she really got one. She told him it is because she listened to his advice, but she confessed to me one time she downloaded it only to check on my dad, to see what he’s doing, what he’s sharing, who he’s friends with. It is hilarious when you think about it. Everyday, there are thousands of posts on all types of social media talking about how the generation before us are together for +20 years (my parents have been together for 26) because in their time there was no social media to destroy it and still, there’s my mom setting up a Facebook account to stalk my dad. Good job, mom! Your daughter is really proud of you, love you lots! I can teach you how to get notifications of everything he’s doing on there if you want too!

I asked myself for a long time how did my dad get to the point to download Facebook and finally I got my answer. It all started with him playing Candy Crush. He was always asking me to put his name in the app, so people would be able to see he was the first on top, and I was always telling him he needs to have a Facebook account so that everything will sync. He was all against it, until one day when I found him on Facebook. I got home and asked him what’s with the Facebook account and all he said was “I heard it is a good thing and lots of important businessmen have one so I needed one.”

Okay dad, that was a big surprise! I didn’t see that coming. Anyway, he got the account and he was enjoying it.

As to what is the moral of this article, it is supposed to show how social media can change you: the way you think, the way you act or the way you choose. It shows how it can take you from hating it to loving it. It is not the website or the broadband, it is mostly the people around. They talk about it and make it look like it is something marvelous when, in essence, it only takes your time and makes it worthless. I can imagine how many books I could’ve read in all the time I spent online, just scrolling…scrolling and judging. Social media it is not for idiots, you can even make money out of it, but if you’re not careful enough, it can make you an idiot.

With thanks to Bekah