hi! my name is... addicted to social media

Hi, my name is Katelyn Taylor and I am slightly addicted to my phone and all avenues of social media. 

(hi, Katelyn). thank you. 

(JR age 6mo)

who isn't slightly or largely addicted to social media?

well, there are the few.

but, most people-adults, kids, teens-look at their phone or device a million times a day.

checking their email, texting, seeing who's doing what (creeping?)  on instagram, facebook, twitter and the like, posting a blog, looking up stats on their favorite sports team, reading a news article, watching videos on youtube or perhaps just calling a friend.

 I have this internal battle over my thoughts and feelings towards this obsession.

i feel like Paul.... what I want to do, i don't do. and what i don't want to do...i do.

obvious paraphrase and perhaps a bit out of context. but you get the point.

i nag (yep, i'm a nagger) GT about how much time he spends looking at his phone and yet, I am guilty of the same.

I say that I want a simple flip phone, just to make phone calls.

yet, i post Instagram photos on the hour! or check my email (for what reason, i'm am not sure) every 15 minutes. 

so, do we give in and embrace the technology

or push against and communicate via snail mail and house calls?

after talking over this with GT he reminded me that social media is "not just a fad, but a calculated aspect of business". 

true.

who doesn't use twitter or facebook in their marketing scheme?

it would be really foolish not to, actually.  

and it seems that everyone has a blog these days

i was watching Julie & Julia the other day (love that movie!) and as Julie was contemplating starting her blog, she was talking about all of those that already had blogs and were not really true writers. 

"that's whats great

you don't have to be published

go online, press enter, there it is out there"

that's also what's scary

My cousin John Luke doesn't have a social media account. at all. he's 17. 

this is a rather archaic way to exist to most teens.

i asked him about it recently.

he said, "i'm free".

he doesn't stop what he's doing to post about it.

he is simply present in the moment.

that's one reason that i love that kid.

on the other hand, we were with a bunch of kids one day and they were stopping every 5 minutes to take a picture of what they were doing.

GT said, "it doesn't really matter if you actually do something, just post a picture!"

guilty.

bottom line.

i don't want Judson and whatever future kids to be glued to any device or form of media.

but, if my head is always looking down at my phone, then why wouldn't his?

it is really disgusting the things that i see on instagram and facebook.

really.

you see them too.

young girls posting pictures of themselves in bikinis, hand on hip, duck face, "single"(of course you are! you're 14) and waiting to see how many likes they get. 

i'm afraid they're letting how many likes or followers they get determine their self worth!

i won't stand for it.

sure, i post a lot of pictures, i have a blog. 

i like the blogworld, i like Instagram. i like the community. i do.

i like for people to like my pictures.

but, in no way or shape or form do those influence my self-worth or self-esteem. 

I know that social media is here to stay.

it's a way to communicate, to share with others, to advertise and even to make friends and find community.

it is NOT a way to avoid face-to-face conversation, advertise your body, judge others or become the basis for your self-esteem

i will visit this post and these thoughts often to keep myself accountable.

i am just as guilty as the next gal.

social media is a part of our life and our world, but will not become our life.

still, i'm praying that Jesus comes back before I have to raise a teenager