No social media: Students share their stories

Junior Anna Butler believes it is in her best interest to abstain from social media for now. In middle school, Butler participated in various platforms of social media. However, her transition to high school was discouraging. The content people posted entertained certain faux personas of themselves. “I feel, for the state of life I am in right now, it is an advantage,” Butler said. “When I delet...

His parents believe that social media is harmful and can lead to impulse decisions one might later regret, however sophomore Martin Franciscus disagrees. While Franciscus does see his parents’ side of the argument, he prefers to place emphasis on keeping an open mind and looking carefully at advantages and disadvantages. “All my friends have social media, and sometimes I feel like I won’t be able to...

Not allowed on social media, at first by her parents, sophomore Trisha Manna recently downloaded Snapchat when her field hockey teammates managed to convince her it would be a good idea. While Manna does enjoy advantages such as networking, she does not feel the addiction that she believes plagues many. “In some ways, I could see not having social media as a disadvantage, but it has also not made me rel...

Staying true to her values, senior Alina Dunder has never let the impacts of social media influence her lifestyle. Instead of looking to others for cues, Dunder chose to look within herself when she was younger. “It affects a lot of people in different ways,” Dunder said. “I never wanted to weigh myself down from it. I know it has a lot of benefits, but it just was never my style, [and] I...

Despite her parents restricting her social media to keep her safe, freshman Ashlynn Gillespie feels she should have the opportunity to participate. Social media restrictions are not the only limitations Gillespie faces; her phone also shuts down at 9 p.m. nightly. “My parents are very protective. I’m an only child, and they know things can go wrong when using social media, so it'll take a l...

Even though his parents are fairly active on social media, freshman Ibrahim Kuziez has yet to see the benefits of using social media outweigh the consequences. Kuziez instead places higher importance on real-life conversations. “I think it's a waste of time. Talking with actual people face-to-face and socializing helps you see the true emotion of people,” Kuziez said. Not having social m...