Social media has snowballed into a sex machine. New apps are being created daily with the hopes of increasing everyone’s chances of getting laid.

It’s getting to the point where a simple “like” on Instagram or Facebook might have nothing to do with the actual photos or statuses at hand. Maybe I’m naïve. Maybe it’s always been like this — but with sites like rateyourshag.com and apps like Tinder popping up more and more frequently, I don’t think I am.

How did this happen? When did physical interaction become so boring and ineffective?

There’s something beautifully human about a man or woman approaching someone else they’re attracted to — sweating slightly, hands trembling, tongue stuttering and all. The key phrase here is “human” as opposed to “robotic.”

It makes a character statement when someone walks across a crowd of people to introduce themselves — sure, sometimes that statement might be, “Hey, I do this to every attractive guy or girl I see. Wanna make out?” but it also might say, “Yeah, I’m about to defecate myself out of fear, but it would all be worth it if you reciprocated my feelings toward you.”

Consider the alternative option of swiping someone’s picture to the left or to the right, or sending a premeditated message that took one hour and 41 minutes to craft — which can be likened to the amount of effort a serial killer might implement in planning to take down a target — and may not be indicative of the sender’s character at all (except for the fact that he or she might be a serial killer).

Social media has even eclipsed new age methods of communication. Take Snapchat, for example. For some, it has replaced texting, because why would someone text with one-dimensional words when they can add a photo (usually of themselves, and, if the recipient is lucky, maybe of himself or herself nude)?
And let’s not forget about the superfluous news feed montage of selfies, ab pics, legs at the beach and whatever else gets the sexual juices flowing and produces massive numbers of “likes” and erections.

To be clear: I’m not saying social media is the devil or that it’s even bad at all. It is something that is unique to our generation. We have adopted a system that allows the sharing of information on a massive scale, across vast distances, which is something to be proud of.

Social media has its moments; it is subtly amazing in its ability to connect ideas across cultures. This is only a wake up call to acknowledge a non-cyber reality — a place where people are able to hang out with friends without a cell phone, where people embrace the fact that sometimes loneliness isn’t so terrifying and reaching for a phone or a computer is like feeding antibiotics to the common cold. In a sense, social media can become a crutch, and consequently cripple personal independence. Don’t let that happen, and don’t forget about what it’s like to look into someone’s eyes with the excitement of uncertainty.