Page 16 - The Edge: Issue 5 2020

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Story and photos by Emma Kelleher
Two students who have chosen to live without the modern phenomenon of social media.
The Internet is the network of networks, the foundation of 1.5 billion websites, the communication line of the global community. Social media falls into this society of online communication as well. Hundreds of social media applications all share the same goal- to make a profit off of users’ attention. Everyone wants to see the new daily feed and talk to their friends and family through photos and comments, but what about those who have to stick to phone calls and text messages?
Lindsey Peña, an 8th grader who doesn’t have social media, lives a little differently from the rest.
“I don’t choose to have no social media. My parents are pretty strict about online safety most of the time,” Peña said. Although her life without a profile picture and a thousand followers isn’t by choice, she still understands how it feels to
be free from this immersive modern technology.
“Having no social media makes it a bit harder to connect with others, but I manage through mutual friends,” Peña said. “Social media is not that important to me since I’m not really into online stuff.”
Several studies have shown that social media can have a profound effect on many parts of a person’s life. Posting pictures while driving or staying up late checking social media updates, for example, can lead to drastic consequences; a person could get into a car accident or fail an important test from lack of sleep that night. Sometimes, these social media applications can cause psychological issues, contributing to the development of anxiety and depression in teens.
“The defects of social media is the negativity that can spread around faster between people,” Peña said. “And the risks of strangers or predators online, though there are settings to help with that.”
Minding the pros and cons of social media, Peña still isn’t allowed to partake in this online community.
“Some of the time people are a bit shocked by the fact that I have no social media, but overall everyone is pretty cool with it,” Peña said.
It is crazy to think about a lifetime without the convenience of social media.
Ryleigh Carr, a 10th grade student at Edgewood, limits herself in the world of technology by choosing to not have
social media.
“I choose not to have social media. There isn’t much
of a reason, it’s just that I didn’t really do anything with it when I had it,” Carr said.
She hasn’t been very affected by a lack of social media, and in fact, believes she is not missing out on very
much.
“I’m not really impacted by not having social media.
There is nothing I’m truly missing. If anything, a lack of social media kind of improves a bit of my social life because then I have more things to talk about with my friends,” Carr said.
Some of the common problems with social media include spending too much time online, getting addicted to an unreal electronic world, neglecting responsibilities, and wasting time on these many applications.
There are definitely negatives that come from social media use, whether from online strangers or simply the long
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