Social media: one of the most debatable topics in today's day and age. There are so many aspects that contribute to social media that make it one of the most influential platforms in the world. Personally, I love it. I did not get Instagram and Snapchat until I was in 7th grade, which was very uncommon because the majority of my friends had it in 4th. When I finally, got it, I was elated. I felt so cool to be able to "send streaks" and "scroll down my explore page." Being the young and naive middle-schooler that I was, I had no idea what the life of the internet what like. I was pretty good at controlling my usage for the first few weeks, but the endless possibilities got the best of me. Before I knew it, I was using my phone more than double I had been using it before. However, this didn't really have an effect on my school work, so I didn't care that I was on it so much. When my parents pointed it out to me, I realized that I had to make a change, so I tried using it less. It lasted for a week or two, but then I was back on it.
By this time, I had decided that I was going to look into moving schools from Ecker Hill Middle School to Rowland Hall, a private school in Salt Lake. I was excited about the opportunities that my possible new school presented me, but, I did not know anybody until, by a stroke of luck, I saw my friend, Casey, on Snapchat. Casey and I were friendly enough throughout middle school, but we never really talked. When I saw one somebodies Snapchat that it was her birthday, I added her and started talking to her. I mentioned how I hadn't seen her around school, and she said that she had gone to Rowland Hall. I was super excited to hear this because if I could talk to her about Rowland Hall, maybe she could help me decide where to go. We started snapping every day, and she was being so kind and introducing me to her friends, I decided to shadow a day at Rowland Hall. When I got to the school, Casey and I had some common ground to talk about because of us talking previously over Snapchat. From the moment I got to the school and started talking to her, I knew I wanted to go there. I met the teachers, saw the school, and met her friends. I loved talking to them, and I got all of their snaps before I left that day. I decided to test into the school to see if I could go, and when my scores came back, I was delighted to tell them that I was coming to the school next year.
I talked to them more and more over the summer over Snapchat and Instagram, and this made my first day of school and transition, in general, a million times easier. I had the most incredible 8th-grade year, from the teachers, to the students, and to the trips. When the end of the year rolled around and I had to decide where to go for high school, my decision caused me so much stress. I had to have meetings with high school counselors at both schools to weigh my options and discuss the pros and cons of both schools. After a very stressful month, I decided to go to high school at Park City High School. I was crushed to leave some of my best friends and the best school year I had ever had, but I knew that PCHS would be an incredible high school.
Now, I am beyond grateful for social media. This has caused me to keep in touch with my friends that make me smile and laugh every single day. They are some of the best things in my life, and if I did not have social media, my school year would be going a completely different direction.
