Social media; attentionTen years ago, on February 4, one of the largest social media sites, Facebook, was born. Almost exactly two years later, Twitter was created. Today we are seeing an increasing number of people following social media trends. It has become such a common habit in our lives that we may have even forgotten what the real purpose of these sites was. The question many of us may be asking is: has social media gone too far? When do we draw the line and know when social media consumes too much of our time, money and attention for the wrong reasons? I firmly believe that social media is consuming too much of our lives. I'll try to give you, as a consumer and reader of social media, a better picture of where we draw the line for social media (when it becomes a problem). Being aware of the time you spend on social media is important, and I'll explain that too. Being part of social media trends, I can see where changes have occurred, even if they are subtle. I have been a member of the Facebook community since high school. And today I can tell you from personal experience that there is a big difference in what the site has become. Facebook's mission is as follows: "Facebook's mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected." Clearly Facebook gives people the power to share whatever they want, but what exactly does it mean to make the world more open and connected? Mark Zuckerberg, creator of Facebook, says: "People use Facebook to stay connected with friends and family, to find out what's going on in the world, and to share and express what matters to them." Jessica Remo, writer for Philly Magazine, writes an interesting article in...... middle of paper ...... comments on a status update or image. I also think it's important for people today to think of social media as a side note to their social life. You can pursue something more important like a hobby or sport instead of using your free time to be present on social media sites/applications. Start with your priorities first, then worry about social media if you need to. Point to another source from the readings in essay 3. It is human nature to be interested in things we have not yet experienced, and social media is one of them. Yes, you have most likely already experienced it, but it is constantly changing and forces people to spend more time on it. When you take a step back and reevaluate the reasons you are on social media, I think you can realize whether you have “gone too far” or not. The change will start with what you decide to do next as a consumer.