When I was a young girl in 8th grade, my classmates told me how they met new friends and even chatted with celebrities on the Internet. I was intrigued and wanted to experience these exciting things. I opened an online account; this was the beginning of my journey through the virtual world. As time went by, I became accustomed to checking social media more frequently. I buried myself in social media, chatting with friends and sharing my life with them. Social media was a source of happiness and more so, it brought a sense of satisfaction, pain, and frustration.
My newfound interest started interfering (干扰) with my schoolwork. Instead of checking my school notes in time as usual, I checked social media more often to see what was happening with my friends’ lives. But I later discovered that by becoming more aware of other people’s lives, I became less in tune with myself. I was more focused on the illusions social media presented than the realities of my life. Thus, I started to sense depression, jealousy and hatred as a result of comparing my life with others. And I became much like what the people in the virtual world expected of me.
Luckily, my phone went missing and my mother refused to get me a new one. I felt sad and lonely. However, her refusal led to something more meaningful to my life. Within a month, I became less concerned about other people’s lives and more concerned about my courses. And I had more time to study and sleep.
Lack of social media also made me realize that social media had been interfering with my study habits and my private life. For example, I had no privacy. Anyone who had access to my social media profiles could easily find out where I lived. Moreover, I sometimes spent 15 hours browsing through social media without doing anything productive.
After examining my use of social media, I decided not to entirely quit social media, but to change the way I use them. I unfollowed sites that didn’t contribute to positive or educative aspects of my life. I only use social media to spread positive messages and connect with others. Social media is not inherently bad, but it becomes terrible when we are addicted to it.
【小题1】After creating an online account, the author .| A．became less in harmony with herself |
| B．showed no concern for her school work |
| C．lived a more exciting and satisfying life |
| D．cared more about others and felt happier |
| A．develop new hobbies |
| B．focus more on her studies |
| C．forget how to access her account |
| D．unfollow sites connected with her life |
| A．ruins people’s life and should be quit |
| B．broadens people’s views of the world |
| C．challenges people’s self-control ability |
| D．plays a primary role in people’s life |
| A．A struggle in the days without phones. |
| B．Ways to get rid of social media addiction. |
| C．A personal experience with the virtual world. |
| D．Drawbacks of social media outweigh benefits. |
