An invisible connection that branches throughout the high school, social media is a platform that keeps people up to date on everything from friends’ lives to global news. Every student is subconsciously intertwined through social media, except for a few who have either gotten rid of it or simply never had it to begin with.
Freshman Erica Golden said she has never downloaded any social media because her parents don’t allow her to have it. She explained she had attempted to convince her parents to allow her to get social media, but they stayed strong with their opinion.
“It’s mainly involving responsibility and online presence because there have been a lot of issues revolving around that recently,” Golden explained. “I went to an assembly in middle school and half of the sixth graders raised their hands [about having social media]. I didn’t even have a phone back then.”
However, not having social media has made her feel left out, she added.
“So many of my friends have it,” Golden said. “I travel a lot over the summer, and my friends always ask for my Snapchat, and I can’t give them an answer.”
Sophomore Everette Lynch is also not allowed to have social media, but he said he also doesn’t have the time to fully invest in the online world. He explained during the COVID-19 pandemic, he was able to play video games with his friends as a social outlet and felt no need for social media.
He said if he were to get social media, he would rather download Instagram and Snapchat as opposed to X or TikTok.
Lynch added he doesn’t feel he is missing out on anything. He said not having social media has allowed him to spend more quality time with his friends.
Senior John Davies said a perk of not having social media is that he gets to run longer because he isn’t constantly online. He explained he never found anything about social media that drew him in.
“My parents didn’t allow me to have it until a couple of years ago, but at that point I wasn’t really interested,” Davies said.
Social media can be both positive and negative depending on how one uses it, Davies added. He explained it can make people negatively compare themselves to others, which can be detrimental to their mental health.
“You see others on social media, and it is easy to compare yourself to them, so when you don’t have that comparison, it could be more beneficial for your mental health,” Davies said.
He added social media is a good way to connect with others, organize groups and keep up with the news. Davies said if he were to download an app, he would get Instagram.
Senior Ethan Nguyen said he recently became interested in Instagram and downloaded it after not having it his whole life. He added he originally didn’t have Instagram because he thought it would be a distraction.
“I think a lot of people feel that you can doom scroll and that it takes a lot of time,” Nguyen said. “I didn’t feel a need to connect to it.”
He explained he downloaded Instagram because he wanted to post on the high school boys soccer team’s account; however, he realized the multitude of other benefits Instagram had to offer.
“I decided to make my own account because my friends wanted to make a group chat on it to communicate,” Nguyen said. “I realized, being a senior, Instagram was a good way to connect with people and keep up with people once I leave Bexley.”
He added he hopes to use social media to connect with his peers when he attends Brown University next fall.
“I am going to admitted students day,” Nguyen said. “I will meet people there and connect with them through Snapchat and Instagram afterwards.”
Golden said she is content with the benefits that have resulted from her lack of social media presence even though she is unhappy with not having it. She explained she is a better reader now, hangs out with her friends more and is able to stay on top of her homework as a result of not having social media.
“I don’t go home and scroll for hours,” Golden said. “I get my stuff done and it makes me a more motivated person.”
