10 Good Things Social Media Will Never Offer Us

I have never been addicted to drugs or alcohol, but I have suffered an addiction of another kind. Out of nowhere, it snuck up on me like the abrupt discovery of a fast-moving cancer. Deceived by its socially acceptable nature, I initially didn’t think I had a problem until it was undeniable.

Hi, my name is Kia, and I have a social media addiction.

Just a few years ago I was the woman who didn’t want a cell phone. “I don’t need one,” I’d argue. From there, I transitioned into the woman clinging tightly to her flip phone. Who cared if the rest of the world tweeted, face-timed, or Instagrammed? I was content in my cave next door to the Flintstones. Then I tasted the 21st century and liked it.

I upgraded to a smartphone, dabbling in Facebook. Then things slowly started to snowball when I began blogging. That’s when I dove into the deep end like Michael Phelps: signing up for Twitter, Instagram, Google Plus, and Pinterest all in the same day. Soon I found myself looking like the rest of the world, with a shining device in one hand, scrolling through feeds.

We have become a nation of social media addicts, carrying the objects of our addictions wherever we go. And the responsibility of self-control lies with the individual; we have to police ourselves.

This is no small feat according to Adam Alter, a New York University professor who said, “…when you get a like on social media, all of those experiences produce dopamine, which is a chemical associated with pleasure.” We are not solely up against our own willpower, but a chemical change in our brains.

I have discovered that God is the only remedy strong enough to free us from technologies’ trappings. In Him alone, we find 10 good things no social media platform can offer us.

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