Social media is undermining our society. The highly addictive habit of Tweeting, Instagramming, and Facebooking our every thought, meal, workout, and opinion is taking up exorbitant amounts of our time and taking away our ability to effectively communicate with one another. Filters and Facebook facades bombard us daily, blinding us from reality. Making us measure self-worth with the numbers of likes and followers we have.

While social media claims to connect us, it seems like real connection has lost service. We have become reliant on validation from 2,000 “friends” that we have never met before. Countless hours of sleep are lost staring at bright screens. Easy access to pornography and explicit material has skyrocketed. Cyber bullies hide behind screens, anonymously leaving harsh, hateful comments. Being bona-fide is no longer existent, because we care too much about portraying the perfect picture. Selfies rule our Sundays. Our touch screens are making us lose touch.

When will we realize how detrimental time spent distracted by social media is to our relationships, self-esteem, and overall well-being? I’m afraid that if we don’t put our phones down, social media may become a problem that we are unable to autocorrect.

So I would request you to publish what I want to share with people.

AATIKA TARIQ,

Karachi, March 24.