It’s been over 3 years since I have been active on social media – more specifically Instagram and one thing that I have failed to do in all these years is to stay active when I am traveling. But, is that really a failure?

Whenever I go somewhere, more often than not I’m off social media. Being offline for 10 days or even a week is a huge deal when you have a certain following that expects updates from you. But I can’t stress enough on how important that is.

I am grateful about everything that social media has given me. I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with top brands, attend big events and be a part of some really cool campaigns. However, it is quite easy to get consumed by the virtual reality and lose grip on the actual reality. That’s certainly not the best thing to happen.

Usually after coming back from a trek/trip people follow each other on various social media platforms to keep in touch. With all the notifications on my Instagram, I often miss to notice a lot of people and forget to follow them back. I often receive messages like, “We had such an amazing time and such great conversations but after coming back you didn’t follow me back, is something wrong?” Well, nothing is wrong with me, but something is definitely not right.

My WhatsApp is usually filled with messages and Instagram with DMs. Sometimes it takes me a day or two or even a week to respond. And sometimes I forget to reply altogether. But does it mean there is something wrong between us? NO. It simply means I don’t want to drain all my energy on social media.

Don’t get me wrong, I love it. I love Instagram. But I also love doing other things that make me happy. Like talking to locals endlessly, listening to Mohammad Rafi and Kishore Kumar songs and getting lost in the beauty of those meaningful lyrics, lovingly playing with each and every dog that I see, face-timing my friend who is miles apart from me or calling my parents just to ask them how their day was and telling them mine and sometimes just sitting in the balcony with my book and a cup of coffee and seeing the sky change its colors as the sun sets.

A like on a post feels great, a comment even better. It makes us feel connected. But if connection is what we are looking for then a face to face conversation or a hug would convey a lot more. Typing messages on a screen cannot replace the joy of reminiscing good old times with an old friend over a cup of coffee. It’s these things that truly matter in life.

I am not advocating to be completely off social media or post less. In fact, I’ll probably post a picture on Instagram after finishing on this blog. But let’s not forget to have real-life conversations with people we love and care about. Let those conversations go beyond the emojis and character limits. 
Let’s not forget that notifications will not matter in the long run, but memories will. 
Let’s not forget to live.

Until Next Time.

Love.