By Nicolette Hersh, High School Intern
Just before the start of the pandemic, I used to walk down the halls of my high school and I would be familiar with most of the faces that I saw. This changed during most of COVID quarantining, unfortunately, because my school did not allow their students to learn in person. In turn, I eventually started to have less contact with most of the other people who went to my school.
With no physical connection to others, social media has been popular as a means of communication.
Although social media has allowed consistent connections with one another through virtual means, one of the downsides to social media use throughout the pandemic is that it can make the user feel unproductive. In my experience, there was not much to do because of the quarantine restrictions, so the only other thing I could do to occupy my time was to go on my phone and browse through social media apps such as Tik Tok, Youtube, Instagram, etc… Before I knew it, I had spent several hours on my phone, and had wasted a whole day. Consistently doing this throughout the pandemic can feel too repetitive and unfulfilling over time.
On the bright side, because so many other teenagers spend hours on social media each day, trends on apps like Tik Tok become well known and are fun to bring up in conversations. Sometimes talking about trends with friends can bring in a lighthearted feeling when there may not be much else to talk about. Trends on social media can also bring people together online who share the same interests or humor.
This pandemic has not been easy, and difficult change has occurred because of the restrictions that had taken place. Social media has been both beneficial and detrimental to society, and especially teenagers (who typically use social media the most). Overall, I would say that social media has helped me cope with these unprecedented times and allowed me to keep myself busy and stay in contact with those I care about.
If you have struggled to maintain connections and relationships, or someone you love is spending more time on their phone than with others please call Owens Counseling for a free 15 minute consultation, and let healing begin.