Hey Silicon Valley we don't need social media we need change.

Ever since the launch of Facebook in 2004 everyone's lives have been impacted by social media. Yes, is social media an amazing outlet to get in touch with people and make new friends but when is social media too much?

While there are many upsides of social media there can be many downsides to constantly checking up on your friends. Now, I am not trying to sound like a parent or anything but social media can really mess with people mental health. To be quite honest I think my life would be way better if Snapmap wasn’t created. For those who aren’t familiar with “Snapmap” the famous social media app, Snapchat introduced a new feature last summer to make people feel more “connected” here’s a statement from their website explaining their new feature.

"You and your friends can also share your locations with one another, and see what’s going on around you!"

Although there are many upsides to creating this feature many people complained that they felt excluded by seeing everyone hangout without them. Although there is a simple fix to stop that problem which is not using it... the real question is why is this feature even useful? It’s sorta of creepy in my eyes. So why am saying all of this? Many of these apps can only work for those who have smartphones and if you ever seen the price of smartphone MANY are expensive. So if you are privileged enough to afford these expensive phones you have the ability to use these social media platforms. So… I have one question for you what do all these social media apps like facebook, twitter, snapchat, and Instagram have in common. Many of these apps are created by cisgender, heterosexual white men. Now at 18, I question what the world would look like if everyone from all marginalized groups; developed the next big tech startup; designed the next iPhone. Would the world be different? Would the next iPhone be small enough to fit into my tiny-pocketed jeans designed by men?

So I say all this to say although working at or creating that next social media app is AMAZING. Think of how much technology can affect people and create change not exclusion