How tapped is too tapped: Finding a happy medium with social media.

A few nights ago I was sitting on my couch watching Pretty Little Liars, don’t judge, there’s more closet fans out there than you think. I went to pick up my phone to text Maggie and Christie about the fact that one of the characters had just up and been beheaded and not a single person questioned this cold blooded murder. However, when I picked up my 42% battery life phone and clicked the home button, nothing happened. Thinking nothing of it, I clicked the lock button instead. Again, nothing happened. I let a few minutes go by without concern, thinking my phone was just being a bit geriatric-with some slow movement and minimal thinking, we’d be over this hiccup. WRONG.

After about three minutes of complete blackness, I began to get concerned. I raced to the kitchen to plug my phone into the nearest charger and from there, I just stared. Hoping...Praying...

How could this be happening?! I didn’t even drop it! You see, my success rate with phones is not the best, one was stolen, one was flushed down a toilet, and the other fell into a sewer, so you can imagine my concern when this one just decided to act up out of NOWHERE.

Roughly ten minutes of darkness had passed when my sister approached me and said “You’re starting to get pretty anxious aren’t you?” The answer to that was yes. Abso-freaken-lutely, YES. A cold sweat had come over me and I was thinking stupid about how awful a phoneless life would be. I was never going to admit this though; I was never going to admit how absolutely addicted and attached to my phone I was and currently am.

Katy Perry said it best when she released her latest super hip pop sensation, Chained to the Rhythm. This movement of “purposeful pop” might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s sending a message, and we need to buck up and listen. To say that the majority of the American population is addicted to technology and social media is an understatement-I say this as I type on my computer, have my phone next to me, and have the Kardashians on the TV, being fully aware that I contribute to the problem.

We are all so tapped into social media, that we've been brain washed to think that we've done something wrong when something that we post doesn't get many likes or favorites-at least that's how I feel cause I know i'm funny. No, we don't always post for the sake of getting likes, but it certainly makes us feel a hell of a lot more important when we do-another thing I can relate to because when people like my shit, it instantly makes me feel Jimmy Fallon type funny.

I saw on 60 Minutes a few weeks ago that the average human in today's society begins to physically take on traits of anxiety when they cannot look at their phone for more than 15 minutes. No clue how true this is, but Anderson Cooper said it, and a guy with hair like that must be trusted. Whether it be true or not though, I totally buy it! If i'm sitting in a meeting at work and I hear my phone buzz, i'm constantly thinking about who just contacted me or who just followed my hilarious ass on twitter-I almost completely check out of the conversation at hand. While this is embarrassing to admit, I know i'm not the only one.

Now, being the social media guru that I am, I would be remissed to not mention the greatness that comes from being so tapped in. The internet is a breeding ground for funny people to make a name for themselves. People are funny as hell and i'm just glad that the internet is their platform to spread laughter. Also, thanks to Twitter, a solid 75% of you actually know whats going on in the world-the other 25% are a rare breed that watches the 11pm news. Because of social media, the internet, and the stars aligning, I get to blog with four pretty rad dudes that I don't live remotely close to. Last but not least, the internet and social media allow us to connect, share whats going on in our lives, spread joy, create global movements, and continue to be blown away (in a good way) by humanity and the world we live in.

Whether you're for social media or against it, it's on the rise; at some point in time, you're just gonna have to go with it. Stay tapped in, keep being funny, keep reading Our Bad, and keep up to date with whats going on in the world. Do this, but remember to keep up with the world in front of you-people tend to be pretty funny in person too.

In closing, check out this song by the Passengers that basically says what i'm trying to say, but better.