Social media.  We all use it.  We all love it (at least most of us).  For us millennials,  social media is neatly integrated into our daily routine: Wake up.  Check Facebook.  Eat breakfast.  Tweet about it.  Some would call it an addiction, while others prefer to call it a lifestyle.

I remember having a revelation on this topic a couple of years back.  I was in the middle of a summer-long backpacking trip through Europe.  I started in Amsterdam for a five-week photography class and after the five weeks, I set out on my solo traveling adventure.  Naturally, I wanted to document my time abroad with photos to update my family and friends, so my camera and iPhone were necessary accessories.

Halfway through my trip, I found myself sitting in McDonalds in the coastal city of San Sebastian, Spain.  Sure, the sun was shining and the mountains that overlooked the beach were breathtaking, but a girl has gotta tweet about it somehow!  Now you know why I was in McDonalds (free Wi-Fi)!  I mean, if you didn’t share it with the world on Facebook, did it even really happen?  That’s when I came to the not-so-shocking realization that I had a total obsession with social media.  I couldn’t seem to resist the urge to snap a photo and share something beautiful or interesting or retweetable.

Social media can be a beautiful thing, though. Social media means instant news via Twitter and an endless supply of funny videos from YouTube. I get to see my baby cousin who lives on the other side of the country practically grow up through photos and videos via Facebook.  I get to enjoy National Geographic’s Instagram posts whenever my heart desires.  But on a national scale – many lives have been saved through the sharing of Amber Alerts, the response time during a disaster has been minimized and brands can interact with their customers immediately! Not to mention, the rise of social media made this whole public relations career of mine a widespread and almost necessary part of businesses, politics and more!

However, when is social media not such a beautiful thing?  According to the U.S. Council of Economic Advisors, 75 percent of millennials have an account on a social networking site.  Have you ever looked around the room at a crowded restaurant?  At some tables you see groups of people (usually the younger generation) each looking into their phones and sharing comments and posts with their friends.  Is this when we should ask if too much of a good thing is too much?

Working in the communications field means being surrounded by technology and social media – constantly. With that being said, we must learn to balance being present in the moment and being a presence on our social media platforms.  As with most things in life, social media moderation is key!

What do you think about balancing your use of social media?  Let us know what you think!