The average person spends about five years and four months on social media during their lifetime. Five years, and four months. With five years and four months, someone could climb Mount Everest thirty-two times, walk a dog ninety-three thousand times, run ten thousand or more full marathons, or fly to the moon and back thirty-two times (Asano).

When looked at like that, it’s easy to realize how much of life gets wasted on things that have no lasting value, such as social media. In addition, studies show that people spend an average of one hundred minutes a day streaming movies or shows on Netflix. That’s more time than the average American spends exercising, or even socializing with friends. On another level, people spend on average seven years and eight months staring numbly into a television (Asano).

Not all of these statistics may apply to you, but I assure you, if you were to calculate some of these averages, the results would surprise you.

Now, it’s not to say that social media, Netflix, or TV are all horrible, because they are not, in moderation, but imagine how much of the time we spend on those things could be used for something worthwhile.

How many more friends could we have made? How many more moments could we have shared with family when they were around? How much more time could we have spent getting to know the God who made us?

Time is not a luxury. It’s limited, and its running out faster than we think. What will you use it on?

Asano, Evan. “How Much Time Do People Spend on Social Media?” Social Media Today, 4 Jan. 2017. Accessed 6 Sept. 2017.