UNITED STATES—I’ve talked about my concerns with social media for years now, and I know while some of you might suspect things being all negative, there are positive drawbacks to it because it keeps people connected. Something that really stuck in my mind was this notion of the psychology behind people constantly posting on social media and how it impacts the psyche. Have you ever asked yourself why you post so much on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Vine, the list goes on and on.

The reason this question comes to the forefront is the fact that it seems people are driven to post for attention; to have a level of validation or importance. They don’t just post for the shear brilliance of highlighting something positive or eye-opening, they post because it’s this DRIVE, this NEED to do it. I mean technology: cell phones, computers and tablets have put us in a situation where we no longer communicate with people.

I mean go to the doctor’s office, go out to dinner, go to the movies, go to the mall, all you see is people on their phone nonstop. Why is this? Point the finger at social media. We have to tweet where we are, when we are there, who is with us, what we’re doing, how much fun it is and the list goes on and on. Is this heightened by the world of celebrity? Of course it is, and anyone who tells you that is not the case that is a complete lie. Celebs have tons and tons of followers and its apparent the rest of America is in competition to attain those same numbers.

So how do you do that? You post something trashy, something controversial, constantly post 24/7 without a peep. It happens and so many of us get caught up following the daily ins-and-outs of others trying to see how you could potentially out do them. At the same time, it feels almost stalkerish to me. Unfortunately, celebs are learning the hard way: you post too much and you become a target. With the string of break-ins/burglaries at so many celebrity homes in the past 2 years, it’s a clear sign posting that you are on vacation or away from your home is no smart idea because thieves look for that information to make their move.

This might blow your mind, but I don’t care. I don’t do social media. I have no Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or the other countless social media platforms that are out there. Someone asked me why not? My response: is there a reason I really need to have one? If I want to talk to someone I will call them on the phone or visit them, not need to utilize a social media platform to connect.

It only puts distance between people. On top of that, I really don’t want to deal with the ins and outs of having to learn how something operates and ensuring I’m doing what needs to be done and what should not to be up to par with the teens or young twentysomethings who have been utilizing the platforms for years. I mean even those in their 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s are tune to social media. Do I feel like I’m missing something? No, I really don’t because I don’t want social media to become an obsession.

For so many people I know, it has become an obsession; they have, they HAVE to post something and they will not rest until it’s done, and then it becomes a race to monitor how many likes, tweets or reposts a picture or tweet received. Do you see the argument? The cycle is never-ending, and I wish that wasn’t the case. We should be obsessed with our social media platforms. It should be used as a form of communication America, not something that dictates our lives and our behavior, which unfortunately, we have allowed to transpire, and I fear it will never change.