With the holiday season in full swing, people all around get to celebrate with friends and family they haven’t seen all year. The  joy of this season, no matter what holiday you celebrate is spending time with the ones you love most.Social media should not ruin this time of year for anyone.

The problem we’re facing head on is social media, and the toll it takes on each person during the holiday season. With “1.8 billion people logging onto Facebook daily for September 2016” according to Small Business Trends, one can only imagine how much time will be spent in December on Facebook and other social media apps.  Directly or indirectly, everyone is affected by social media. Social media can ruin this special time of year.

First and foremost, the holiday season is the time of year for love, laughter, and generosity. As technology and social media have progressed, holiday joy is being pushed to the sidelines. People are so worried about posting pictures that they completely miss the wonderful memory that could have been made. The opportunity to make a memory in that moment is gone forever and can never be replaced. Whether they’re on Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Pinterest or Tumblr; people are neglecting actual socializing with those around you. 

The only way to solve the problem is to look up and put down the phones. You have the power to stop the monster that is social media. Each individual needs to stop posting and live in the moment. That is the only way we can make a difference. Everyone wants to show the world how much fun their having and share their memories. But going dark for one hour on a holiday is not going to kill anyone. Spend one hour of quality time with those you care about.

General  statistics state that the average adult (16- 64) have an average of seven social media accounts. This number has spiked significantly from 2012 where the average number of social media accounts per person was three. Around one in every three minutes spent online is devoted to social networking and messaging. In the Philippians, people are spending two hours and 20 minutes on their smartphones every day. But this increases by up to 30% during the months of Oct to Dec. This increase in the Philippians mirrors the rest of the world, and how often we go on social media accounts during the holiday season.

On the other hand, the phone policy for your family is up to you. If you don’t want your family distracted by technology there are plenty of ways to help them put down their phones. People even argue that social media helps the holiday season flourish. People want to share their memories and document them so they never forget, the fun times they have with those who mean the most.

Social media is a problem throughout the entire year. It is clear that we neglect the ones we love to look at other people’s social media accounts. Weather you’re on social media to find the perfect present idea, post your status,  or update your story to show everyone how much “fun” you’re having. The time to do it is not when your surrounded by the people you only get to see once a year.