Three years ago, I spent no time thinking about how much fun other people were having. I used the computer to do homework or play 3D Pinball. Pictures were annoying things my dad made my family pose for; they were definitely not a necessary way to preserve everything I did.

But around seventh grade, social media changed everything. My friends all got Facebook, suddenly leaving me out of the loop. Not to be outdone, I got a Facebook, too.

Immediately, I was part of a whole new world where I could see exactly what everyone else was doing, all the time. A simple scroll down the news feed showed me how popular everyone else was – more likes on their pictures, more friends, more “happy birthdays” on their birthday.

There was always something I missed, where everyone else had the best time of their entire lives. Sitting at home over break, I saw that practically everyone I knew was on vacation somewhere tropical and exotic, while the most exciting thing that had happened to me was my cat getting stuck in a tree.

Just as I finally caught up, my friends all got smartphones, and subsequently Instagram. So I saved up and bought an iPhone. Now everything I did was documented, and a special thrill came from having other people see my pictures. Without openly bragging about it, I could show the world that I was skiing double diamonds in Whistler, simultaneously making them jealous and showing them my ski abilities.

I’ve realized that social media is not entirely terrible – Facebook keeps me in touch with friends I would never talk to otherwise. Now if only my friends would stop rubbing their driver’s permits in my face…my maddening late birthday is one thing that will never get with the times.

Fina Short, 14, is a freshman at Eastside Preparatory School, is a contributing writer for the Bellevue Reporter. She lives in Medina.