Is Social Media Ruining Vacations?

Last summer, my friends and I took a trip to Destin, Florida and stayed in a condo right on the beach. The weather forecast for the entire week was sunny and warm, and we were all excited to see each other after months of being away at different schools. This was going to be a week full of catching up and enjoying being together again.

Two days into the trip, however, one of my friends noticed that each time we went down to the beach, we were always on our phones and posting pictures or videos to social media. This really took away from our experience of being together and appreciating the moment. Instead of enjoying group walks on the beach or relaxing in the ocean, we seemed to be more concerned with how many likes our posts on Instagram or Facebook were getting. Our conversations were dull as each of us scrolled through social media sites on our phones.

It became clear to my friend that social media was taking away from the enjoyment of our trip since everyone seemed distracted. So, my friend suggested that we all make a deal to not get on social media for the rest of the week. This way, we could actually take in the moments around us instead of worrying about what our followers would see.

Giving up social media while on vacation was one of the best decisions we ever made. I think my friends and I quickly realized how much more relaxing our trip became when we were not worrying about taking pictures and posting them immediately to social media. We also had really great conversations and lived in the moment instead of turning to our phones to view social media. Although I still use social media quite frequently, I do think that it takes away from moments that are better experienced without technology involved.