We live in an internet based society, where instead of competing in basketball games, we compete for likes and followers. Now when I say we, I am referring to the younger generation – the ones who grew up with Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat at their fingertips. While younger people are more disposed to use these social media platforms, nothing is ceasing others from doing the same, predominantly older people.

When you think of an older person using Instagram, you presumably visualize them struggling to take a photo or not knowing what button to push to tell their three followers how Sunday’s church service was. Don’t get me wrong, I was once on this boat, for a very, very long time.

Personally, I joined the Facebook community not too long ago, so my grandmother was ahead of the game. Nothing is wrong with that. It didn’t bother me that much, but when I found out she was also on Instagram, things got a little interesting. Like I said before, social media is dominated by the younger generation, hence my grandmother didn’t necessarily blend in with the rest of my followers.

I never made fun of her. She is family, of course. And she was using Instagram properly…to post family photos and what not. I just thought it was kind of strange to see my grandmother like and comment on my Instagram posts within seconds of them going public. The same applied to Facebook, although she is much more active on there. I generally ignored her feed, as they were largely shared posts about topics I didn’t understand, another reason why I preferred the feed of my generation.

I will always be more inclined to engage with my friends’ social media pages, as their posts appeal to me more, but last night changed my view regarding why older people use social media. I finished my homework early and decided to hop on Facebook. Lucky for me, my grandmother’s post was the first in my feed. This time, instead of disregarding it, I clicked it, and was greeted with a throwback photo of my past. It hit me hard. After I finished reminiscing the memories I received from looking at the picture, I clicked on her profile and began to scroll. Years and years of memories were right there on my screen. Family vacations, my first communion, my sixteenth birthday, all there, causing me to deliver a walloping grin.

I realize now that if my grandmother wasn’t as cool as she was with her social media usage, these memories would go unrecognized. These memories would go unappreciated. These memories would go unnoticed. And that my friends, is never a good thing. You see, the past is a time period to treasure, as if you don’t appreciate the memories you created, they vanish for good. So next time you see grandma’s newest post about how she accidentally grabbed lemons instead of limes at the supermarket, know that one day, you can look back and remember the good times.