Social Media's Prisoner

So recently after long debate I decided to get rid of my Facebook account, I had so many reasons for doing this which I would really like to share.

I've had Facebook for a long time, and to begin with it was cool, I didn't have a smart phone back then or a laptop so checking my Facebook was a once a day desktop task. I went to an international school where people constantly moved away, having a platform for us all to connect was great.

A year into my Facebook account I got a laptop as well as a crush, this meant I could hide in my room on my laptop hoping he'd talk to me, which was harmless at the time as when I needed to I could simply turn off my laptop and go spend time with my friends with no distractions.

Hitting 14 and getting my first smartphone was great, having actual internet wherever I went opened so many doors, or so I thought.

As my self-esteem dropped I needed "likes" to feel worthy of a life, after posting a new picture I would constantly check my phone to see who liked it and if this picture got more likes than the last one. I became invested in other people's opinions of me I started to devalue my own.

Instead Facebook became something I needed to feel worthy and liked.

My social life also struggled, I would always see people posting about how good their lives were, where they went and with who. It made me feel lonely, like I didn't have any friends.

Even when meeting up with my friends we all spent too much time checking our phones we forgot how to hold a conversation which made all my social outings pointless and made me feel ever more lonely.

Thinking about it now since deleting my Facebook only one out of my 300+ friends noticed, that kinda says something about the quality or virtual friends.

Finally Facebook is used for all the wrong reasons, its full of people posting negative stuff about either other people, religions, countries or disabilities. That has sadly been the main focus for this site for a good few years now. 

I wish I could say I miss Facebook but I don't, I've found myself less invested in other people's fake representations of their lives and began focusing on mine.