During my high school days, I was a ghost in the social media world. Although I had accounts on different social media platforms, they were just there, collecting invisible dust, growing beards, and turning gray. I remember how my friends would always talk about Facebook. They even made me open an account. While my friends were busy building their social media lifestyle, stacking up followers, and rambling about getting likes on their pictures, I was in another world; a virtually disconnected one. I wouldn't say social media wasn't my thing. I just wasn't hyped about the platforms like my friends were. I remember engaging with my friends on Facebook. Now that I think about it, I’m not sure I still remember my Facebook details. I'd also enjoyed posting and viewing other people’s posts, but somehow, life disconnected me.
After I graduated from high school, I enrolled for a program- JUPEB. An external exam that guarantees admission into universities. Even then, I wasn't still a social media freak like my friends. I rather enjoyed reading old books whose covers reeked of time and had started to peel. I enjoyed playing chess. At that time, my rating on the Lichess app was so good. I remember I crossed 1800 elo in blitz back in 2020. I also enjoyed spending time with my friends. Yes, I had lots of them back then. I also blogged on African platforms; Opera and Scooper.
My days of ghosting on social media platforms came to a stop when I got admitted into the university. It all happened so fast that I would've missed it if I had blinked twice. I cleaned the dust off my accounts, and bid goodbye to digital silence. To stay updated in school, you need to be active on social media. Most importantly, WhatsApp. My school uses WhatsApp and Telegram to share updates. One week off, and you'll come back to see thousands of notifications from class groups. I jumped into the world of social media and it was not so bad.
WhatsApp became my favorite. My go-to app. I made friends in school, and we shared beautiful memories on WhatsApp; soft giggles, long voice notes, goofy and cute pictures, late-night voice calls and gossip. We shared, we laughed, and we lived our best lives online.
Everything was going well. I was enjoying life with my friends, both online and offline. The innocent me thought I was invincible or at least I reallyyyyy (a very big emphasis on REALLY) wanted to be invisible. But little did I know life had other plans for me. That's the thing about life. It is always cooking (with crazy ingredients). Always. That sneaky little brat had been waiting for the perfect time to strike. It whispered in my ears, saying “you think you're living your best life? Think again, little one.” I wanted to whisper back and tell it (or him or her or they) to pick on another person. More like, “pick on someone your own size.” Sadly, I had no time at all. And then bam! Things started happening. From all corners. Blows landed swiftly. It was so fast that I didn't know what direction it came from. Slowly, my friends started slipping just when I needed them the most.
I learned to mask my pain behind laughter and smiles. Instagram and Discord came through for me. I started spending most of my time watching anime reels and videos about Greek myths. Discord has also helped me maintain my “sanity.” Over the months, I have made good friends on Discord and they sometimes help me forget my unending battle with life, the sneaky brat.
So, yes. There you have it. One of the pros of social media in my life is that it has helped me in my battle against life.
This is my entry for the INLEO monthly prompt. The topic is: The pros of social media in your life
Please, note that all images used in this post are mine, otherwise stated.
Thanks for reading.
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