My mom’s on Facebook so now we know it’s official: social media is the new face of communication. Every day, millions of users are choosing to communicate through them rather than IRL (in real life).

Social Media provides its users with unique advantages and privileges, not the least of which include anonymity, the ability to communicate with a wide audience, new creative platforms, and opportunities for innovation. Huge upsides, for sure, yet growing discussion points to the changes that internet culture has wreaked on traditional society. Collectively, we wonder how our attraction to the internet lifestyle has affected us or, as some science suggests, altered us. By replacing IRL communication with internet interaction, it is unclear what, if anything, we are sacrificing.

The Six-Word community is very vocal on the subject of Social Media and its effects on daily life. The memoirs below discuss both the benefits and drawbacks of this new type of communication that, regardless of whether we embrace or reject it, is here to stay.

Some in the social media aren’t.

– Staraj

Social media: lightning communication, silent people.

– JohnnyEdwards

VIVA LA RESISTANCE! Resisting Social Media.

– Revolutionary

Oh God! My mother’s on Facebook!

– TwoScoops

Unfriended aunt, not social media responsible.

– PrincessLief

Discovering childhood favorites on YouTube: Priceless!

– BrightLight2

Watching myself on YouTube. How liberating.

– somethingnew

Lonelier since advent of social media.

– ChewyD2

Texting? Emailing? Twittering? Sending postcards instead.

– favepeep

Leave me alone. I’m social media-ing.

– rosavie

Tumblr is fixed; life can resume.

– BecomingLogyn

Have created a curriculum on YouTube.

– jossy

Social media break; learned a lot.

– MaryValle

Joan, “Explain to me the Twitter.”

– marymc

Twitter: judged by content of characters.

– River_Dance_92

My mortifying moment, posted on YouTube.

– marymc

Was valedictorian until I discovered YouTube.

– notpolyester

Deer in headlights of social media.

– ShellDeFelice

Social Media has changed my life!

– bengalboy1991

Social media: more media than social.

– midwestsensibily

Divorcing from all social media: #hardestthingever.

– Kimberly_M._Wetherell

Social media can create social monsters.

– Tamstarz

Twitter: Brevity doesn’t protect against dullness.

– TheUnknownComic

Pope goes Twitterish. Good luck, dude.

– Amapola

Refresh twitter; need to refresh life!

– Erin_Grills

Social media makes me feel antisocial.

– George_Kaplan

Social media, you’ve sucked me in.

– dightonstreet

Can we be just Facebook friends?

– Steve__Anthony