Social media is a way to connect to others, communicate instantaneously and even read the news. However there is a degree that social media reaches that becomes detrimental to daily life, interrupting precious moments people won’t get back. Snapchat is one of the mediums of social media that is a culprit of this.

Snapchat has become a popular source for young adults and teenagers to post to a story, send selfies, videos and texts instantly then disappearing. But is it all too much? The difference of this app from other social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram is that this app is an “in the moment” experience. This app provides instant gratification of seeing who is living with you in that moment that you are so willingly sharing with, in most cases, at least 50 people to 100. Are you living your life in the most authentic way or just simply recording it?

I decided to put this to the test by deleting the app and seeing my day-to-day changes. After just a day I found myself on my phone less frequently, after a few days I found myself only communicating with people who I have meaningful conversations with, rather than just keeping a pointless streak. Then most importantly I found myself about a week later being more involved in my own life and others. When friends were speaking to me, I was present. When I was in a social setting with a group of people I found myself enjoying that moment and putting that moment in my physical memory rather than my Snapchat memories. I felt more detached from my phone and more enriched with the activity around me. At the end of the day it’s important to think about whether it’s more valuable to live in the moment or constantly capture it just to show to others.

All in all I learned that it was best for myself to stop using an app that so often enabled me to be immersed in other people’s lives instead of my own and vise versa. I learned that moderation in social media across the board is healthy so that I can be genuinely social. From this “experiment” of mine I will take away a new mindset of living the most authentic life possible through the life that I have in front of me as my phone can be tucked away waiting for another time.