Woman Says 'I Feel Cheated' After Friend Focuses On Making Reels Instead Of Enjoying Meal

It is no surprise that many people are now “addicted” to social media which makes them hyperfocussed on sharing every moment of their lives online. Often people get too emersed in taking photos and videos of things and then editing them to perfection, rather than living in the moment. Recently, a Reddit user shared an instance that highlighted how social media addiction often disconnects people from their real lives. A Reddit user shared how she took time to cook a special meal for her friend by getting ingredients from her garden, but rather than enjoying the meal, her friend was busy posting about the said meal and the garden.

The Reddit user wrote that by the time her friend began eating the food had turned cold. Even while eating the food, her friend’s “attention remained fixed on the continuous stream of comments on her phone.” Expressing disappointment at her friend’s behaviour, she wrote, “I felt cheated. Why are people like this? Why do I feel like I’m in a zombie apocalypse and the only way to survive is turn into a zombie!”

The Reddit post prompted many people to share similar instances. Someone recalled, “I have a really similar story. I didn’t use garden produce, but I made a really nice meal from scratch and my friend did a bunch of IG stories about it and was not mentally present for the actual dinner. I also traveled internationally recently with someone who was constantly on his making IG reels and I was really looking forward to connecting more with this person too.”

Commenting on this post, a Reddit user observed, “I’m in my 30s. Recently, I watched a few films made in the 1990s because that decade of cinema is very comforting to me. Something that instantly stuck out was the absence of cellphones. People were present with each other in a way that has now vanished. I know there is a tendency to idealize the past, and I always try to be aware of this, but it’s undeniable that we have lost something that was very precious. We’re no longer present and engaged and connected when we are around people.”

Increased social media use is linked to the prevalence of body dysmorphia, anxiety, depression, and irritability. Experts suggest that people should limit screen time outside of work to less than two hours a day. As per a global study done by UK-based researcher Stacy Jo Dixon, in 2022 people used social media for an average of 151 minutes (2.5 hours) per day. This was up from 147 minutes (2.4 hours) in 2021.