- by Kimberly Duron

So I’m sitting at home the other day and as usual when I’m bored, I take out my laptop and start opening the pages I usually open on the internet. I check to see if I have any new notifications on Facebook, then to see what’s new on my Twitter timeline. I check out a few videos on Youtube. Then I pull out my iPhone and check to see who has liked my last picture on Instagram. If I had a Tumblr, I’m sure I would have checked that, too. So all these things stress me out enough just by checking for new notifications.

But then there are all those relationships with either your distant friends, your best friends, your family, that girl that you used to be best friends with but then something happened, or the worst one of all...the person you really like. Let’s face it. When you post a picture of yourself looking all cute, you’re hoping that one special person is going to like it. You’re not really thinking about whether or not your second cousin or your elementary school friend likes your status.

The other day I was talking to my mom about when she and my dad were going out in high school. They didn’t have cellphones so they couldn’t text each other or call each other whenever they wanted. They weren’t constantly taking pictures of themselves or writing
cute wall posts on each other’s Facebooks. I wish it were as simple as just talking on the house phone or going out when they had time. But no. We are that 21st generation everyone complains about. So...what does that mean? That the guy I like won’t just drive me crazy when I see him in the halls at school. He’ll drive me crazy everytime I see him online on FB, or if he favorites my last tweet, or likes my picture on Instagram. It’s like triple the butterflies. Ok. That’s not so bad, right? Well, then it gets complicated. Like when you see that the girl you like is having a witty conversation on someone else’s status. Or the person you’re crushing on posts a picture on Instagram with their ex or someone else that looks like they might be flirting with. Doesn’t that make you just want to throw your pillow at the wall and go eat a donut??? Maybe not. But it can get you on the edge.

So, we get it. Times are changing. Social media complicates things. What do we do? For our own mental and emotional stability, I would say the best thing to do is try to focus your attention on bigger things. Listen to some music or watch your favorite tv show, cook some dinner, do some homework. If that girl likes your status or not, it’s ok. You will live regardless. The second part of my advice is to use social media to your advantage. When my parents were my age, my dad could have taken out some other girl to the movies without worrying that my mom would find out through status updates or pictures. But now, we can be smarter about when these type of things happen in a relationship. Whether you are going out with a person or just “talking”. Don’t turn your cheek on that cute song your crush posted on another girl’s wall, when he just stopped texting you for a little while. Chances are...you weren’t the only one he was texting. I am not advising people to be cynical or paranoid. Just be aware, and don’t be naive...so you can be able to set your limits and let people know that you want to be respected, not played.

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