For those who know me, it is no secret I have a long list of pet peeves.

While I don’t get legitimately angry very easily, it doesn’t take much to irritate me beyond belief. I have come to accept this fact about myself even if my chronic irritability ironically irritates those around me.

There are a plethora of things that can set me into a whirlwind of eye-rolling annoyance, but nothing irritates me more than people who are constantly hypnotized by their cell phones.

Several weekends ago, I was talking to one of my friends who, in the midst of our conversation, would continue to take endless selfies of himself making ridiculous faces. Needless to say, I had to repeat half the things I had already said to him which made me want to rip his iPhone right out of his hands.

After this incident, I came to realize just how many of my peers were completely engulfed in their social media lives rather than real life. I began to reflect on concerts and music festivals I have attended in the past, distinctly remembering being surrounded by crowds of people who were doing nothing but Snapchatting the event.

Rather than enjoying the concert they paid a lot of money for, these people were so focused on capturing the moment with their phones that it seemed they weren’t at all focused on actually enjoying themselves.

Ever since this realization, I have become increasingly irritated by this epidemic of obsessive cell phone use. Whether I’m walking to class, hiking through Putnam Trail or even sipping on coffee at Racy’s, I find I am constantly surrounded by people who are seemingly addicted to their phones.

What is the matter with everyone? What happened to real life?

Slowly but surely, society’s obsession with cell phones is driving me completely insane.

I am not saying there is anything wrong with selfies, Snapchat or even technology as a whole since I, like the majority if my fellow Millennials, find a strange amount of joy while sharing my thoughts via social media.

The advancements of technology and the rising popularity have been great assets to society in many ways, but they both had harmful impacts on the way we live our lives.

It didn’t take long for me to notice many of my peers are far more focused on commemorating their experiences and showing them off on various social media outlets rather than kicking back and enjoying themselves.

To be blunt, no one cares that you went to a Lil Wayne concert. No one is going to watch your 100 second Snapchat story chronicling your drunken trip to Taco John’s at 2 a.m. Seriously, put your phones down. Real life can be fun, too.

Social media is great and all, but don’t let it take over your life. Snag a couple pictures for your Instagram if you must and put your phone down for the night.

I can tell you from experience that you’ll have a lot more fun if you do.