Dear Facebook, Instagram and Twitter,
You've hurt me. You've changed things. At first, I loved you. I trusted you. I thought you were going to help me feel more connected and closer to the people I love... but you lied.
You tricked me.
Everyday you ask me, "Whats on your mind?" but lately, I don't even respond.
I don't trust you anymore.
Since you came around, I feel more lonely and disconnected than before. I may get messages from people now and again, filling me with a small sense of hope that I am connected... but the lack of real, genuine, human interaction is missing...
I miss the way their eyes sparkle when they say something meaningful. I miss the way they move their hands as they describe a story. I miss the sound of their voice. I miss the wrinkles near their eyes showing years of laughter. I miss witnessing the tears as they talk about whats aching their soul. I miss being able to hug them as our conversation ends. I miss everything..
You have taught us to be lazy in our relationships. We spend hours each week keeping up, keeping tabs and adding to the noise. To "follow", rather than being present and doing life together. To "comment", hiding behind a screen, rather than speaking love and truth in person. You've taught us to tailor our pictures, our statuses, our posts, trying to prove that we are in fact...happy. You've given us the easy way out in relationships, that when things go wrong for one of us, we offer a quick spat of words, instead of being by each others side. You've taken the LIFE out of life and replaced it with thumbs scrolling aimlessly looking for connection, but 20 minutes later still feeling the same.
I am tired. I am lonely. I am frustrated. Almost 900 people on my "friends" list and really I may only know the depths of a select few... and it certainly is not because of you.
You distract me from being present because I feel the need to keep up with my news feed. I feel trapped. My heart says to get rid of you. To stop playing your twisted games and break free. Fears creep into my mind of all the others you've tricked and confused and it leaves me wondering... Will I miss out? Will I be forgotten if I don't add to the feed?
Sincerely,
Just one of the millions
So true, and so beautifully written. Thanks for once again making me aware of the fact that these social media outlets are an addition to life, not a replacement for life, and that the people we know and love and live with are worth far more than a double-tap 'like' and thumbs up.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
I've been feeling exactly this way for quite a while now, thanks for expressing it for me! The internet sure makes life weird in unexpected ways, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteBeautifully and poignantly written! Aly, thank you for putting into words what so many of us are feeling. I gave up Facebook for Lent this year, spending the time I would have spent "scrolling" and "liking" in devotionals and with God. It was the best 40 days!!!
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