Social media has allowed us to connect with people we never would have had the opportunity to otherwise. So why are we seeing more and more people suffering from depression and loneliness? Social media was supposed to bring us closer, not distance us.

Unfortunately for many people, it has taken over the idea of having an actual social life with genuine interactions with others.

Social media is an easy way to reach out to people that you may be too shy or feel awkward to actually approach in person. That’s OK. But what isn’t OK is to completely abandon sincere social skills.

I am an active member of social media and consider it an extremely powerful tool because of our ability to now network easily and efficiently.

But how much is too much? With Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Snapchat and other programs constantly consuming our time and energy, some can forget to look up and observe the actual world around us.

But maybe the problem isn’t the social media — maybe it’s us. It’s us who constantly seek our phones for new tweets and pictures on Instagram. And it’s us, and only us, who could change this culture.

But why should we change this culture? Because people are losing basic social skills and are relying too much on technology that may not always be there. In the real world, you need real interactions.

We must work on maintaining a proper balance between our actual social life and our social media activeness. Talking to people and maintaining eye contact is something that some cannot do anymore.

Feeling uncomfortable and “naked” when a phone runs out of battery and can’t be used is a problem. It’s weird getting on the bus and seeing everyone with headphones in, or seeing relationships as not official until they’re “Facebook official.”

Don’t get me wrong. I think social media is great and I love to use it. But I prefer calling over texting, and I prefer face-to-face conversations over both of those. The authenticity of a conversation and the genuineness of it has been fading as technology has evolved.

Technology and social media are only going to continue to grow, and it’s up to us to make sure that we still are actively communicating in a genuine way. The next time you’re in a social environment, be social, but in a real way.