During the month of December last year, a friend of mine was shot and killed in Atlanta. 

I never knew him all that well, but we used to play for Upward basketball at the McDonough Church near Fayetteville together. 

I wouldn’t count him as my best friend, but we were sort of close; I knew him and he knew me. 

However, playing basketball together was really fun, and I’ll miss those days, because he was really talented, and I enjoyed playing against him.

“Good Game,” I said panting with sweat, smiling like I just won the championship.

“You got lucky. We would’ve beat you,” he said with a grin.

He was right about the lucky part. We were up by one point that Saturday, and we barely made it out alive.

“We still won nonetheless. Shows that I’m better than you,” I joked, looking around for my Mom to drop me off home to enjoy the rest of my Saturday after a terrific victory. I stuck my tongue out at him just for fun.

“Shut up! Rematch next time?” he asked, bringing out his hand.

I smirked “Bet”, and dapped him up.

We never spoke to each other again, just a couple of nods in the school hallway, and that was it.

Years passed by and this January a couple of friends told me about the news, and I didn’t know how to feel: upset, angry, or unfazed. At my mom’s shop, Fox 5 News came on to show a bigger picture of what happened, and it turns out his life was taken over a social media dispute.

“Over social media?” I asked myself. His life was stolen from him, because of an argument. I don’t know the whole story, but it could’ve been anything – money, school drama, or even a girl. Either way, his and another teen’s life were lost because of something probably so childish.

Social media itself makes others feel a certain way about themselves, and puts a handful of teens my age into a state of depression or confusion, making them believe they are something less than someone else. 

Social media is also a huge waste of time on useless things, making us unproductive. It also spreads false and potentially dangerous information.

A huge example is the recent company TikTok, which allows kids/adults to watch a normal set time of 30-60 second videos. Surprisingly, this has been a successful app, with other companies such as Snapchat, Instagram, Youtube, etc. taking inspiration to implement TikTok’s function onto their own software. 

Tiktok is a perfect example because it has made kids addicted without even knowing it. You may want to only watch 30 minutes of TikTok, but it ends up being two hours!

Social media also starts cyberbullying, which with the upcoming technological communication, one may have already experienced this. Technology allows us to communicate together in a broader way than expected, but sadly has its downsides, and cyberbullying is one of them. 

Cyberbullying is the use of technology to harass, threaten, embarrass, or target a person of interest.  It may not be as widely contentious as other topics, but should be talked about, because it is a huge factor of self-harm, low self-esteem, and even suicide. It is also dangerous because it allows attackers to hide/mask their identity without getting caught. 

This type of “safe” effect is what some use to this day, believing they are hidden and can’t be caught. Sadly, some are right, and companies normally don’t take action. This masking allows others to feel comfortable with saying stuff they normally won’t say in a real face-to-face conversation. 

That’s why you may see others ask out a girl on text, interact with others through talking apps but not in real life, or even insult or harass others to a harsher extent like cyberbullying encourages.

Social media may be able to spread positivity, and allow news of others around the world to spread a lot quicker. However, the light always shows its shadow on the other side.

The most debatable topic of social media is the creeps and dangerous individuals it brings to the table. It’s almost like a safe spot for kidnappers and criminals to do their dirty work, if it’s to kill someone, to kidnap someone, or to even sell drugs. 

A huge topic is the story of Alex Neville’s downfall, which came to light, to brighten the shadow of the company Snapchat. Alex was experimenting with illicit drugs and opioids such as fentanyl and other dangerous remedies. Sadly, Alex died of a drug overdose on fentanyl. 

The man who sold Alex the drug is still on the loose, and Snapchat hasn’t said or done anything to stop it. The thing about social media platforms is that safety is their biggest weakness, but they don’t bother to pay attention to it or to even give their users any thought. However, should Snapchat be held accountable? 

See, that’s why safety is a major debate. Sure, it’s their platform, and sure they can monitor users to keep them safe, but can they really? There’s millions of people using the app, but only so many employees and/or technicians. 

Monitoring users won’t necessarily work, as they may have promised users privacy on the app through Terms and Conditions, or Privacy Policy. However, it puts many people, especially teens – in danger and always in the middle of crossfire, just like my friend was.

It’s nostalgia, having a memory of someone you once knew, passing away. You may have seen said person last week, last month, or even yesterday, and to know that they are gone forever is hard to endure. 

You never expect them to disappear. No one ever guesses it, it just happens. Especially at the age of my friend. He never got to roam the world. His life ended just like that with a snap of a finger. He was so young.

I’ll never forget that day. Not only because it was a one-shot difference in a basketball game, but also because it was a turning point in my life. A time of reconsideration to make my choices, and to not procrastinate or wait it out. To do my task, and to finish it. 

Most importantly, I know that as long as I and many others around me remember him, he is still with us. Rest in peace, my friend.

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