BAD
ROMANCE //
E
very day and every second, teens and adults alike
log into social media apps such as Instagram
and Snapchat, updating and sharing their lives
online. Social media, although an innovative and
intriguing idea, runs the risk of quickly turning harmful.
For high school students Lily Davis* and Evan Smith,*
this became the case. Their relationship lasted four months
and Lily, who recently turned 16, believed she had fallen in
love. When Evan began lying to Lily, however, she knew it
was time to end the relationship.
Immediately after their breakup, Evan took to his
Snapchat to voice his feelings, letting everyone know
he was single and ready for a new relationship. He took
things one step further, however, by playing the victim
and making an Instagram post about Lily that was filled
with deception and rumors, and made her appear to be
manipulative and a liar.
“My stomach dropped immediately, and I cried harder
than I ever cried before,” Lily says. “It deeply hurt me
seeing someone who once thought so highly of me, now
hate me so much.”
But it was the comments to the post that Lily says
hurt her the most. She couldn’t believe that the people she
considered friends believed the lies they read on Instagram.
Lily knew how easily it would have been to retaliate
by sharing her view of the story publicly, but despite
the temptation to clear her name, she refrained from
engaging and perpetuating the bad situation.
“I’m doing amazing now. I had the summer to really
think about it and let go. I have grown a lot as a person,”
she says.
Now in a good place emotionally, Lily feels strong
since severing connections with Evan. She believes his
overall maturity level regressed since their relationship,
which allows her to move forward.
“It was instrumental in his decision on how to deal
with the breakup and how to get back at me, so to speak.
He and I both have social media at our disposal and it can
be an amazing tool; it just depends on how you see fit to
use it,” says Lily.
Technology platforms like Instagram and Snapchat are
great methods of communication and expressing oneself,
but teens need to be aware of how posts made on social
media can hurt and impact others. – Michelle Downey*Names have been changed.e
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64 maskmatters.org FALL - V9
Teens share personal stories of dealing
with an emotional time in their lives and
the lessons they learned from it.Personal Stories