Scrolling through your Instagram feed, your thumb repeats the same action over and over again; you go from picture to picture, stopping every once in a while to double tap. Does this sound familiar? Most high school students go through these motions continually, thumbs scrolling while walking down the hall, talking after school and spending time with friends.

According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 71 percent of teens in February 2016 said that they had more than one social media account. However, there are some students who have none.

While some made this decision themselves and others were made by their parents, many students feel that they benefit from not having any social media accounts.

Students agreed that having no social media helped them be less distracted. Sophomore Soeren Euvrard said that while other people might spend much time on their phones, he can spend it working on other things.

“I already have so many things going on, lots of art and sports, and being on the phone wouldn’t leave time for that,” Euvrard said.

According to Euvrard, he feels that people are always being consumed by social media and their phones.

“If I’m on the train, I see everyone on their phones all the time,” Euvrard said. “No one sees anything except their phones.”

According to sophomore Luka Sato, it is easier for him not to have a social media account since he is not constantly compelled to update it.

“You don’t have to take care of it, like a pet,” Euvrard agreed.

According to sophomore Frederick Sell, social media is a tool that is useful when sharing information. Though he has no personal social media accounts, he plans to use social media to advertise an economics club that he started at the high school. Sell also said that though it is a tool, social media can be good or bad depending on how it is used.

According to Euvrard, social media has evolved to be a new platform for sharing news efficiently and quickly.

“Most people don’t look at the news anymore; they look at Twitter and Facebook, and that’s where President Trump is doing messages,” Euvrard said. “It’s just a different thing. Before it was newspapers, then it was TV, then it was maybe online newspapers, and now it’s Twitter.”

However, students agree that being off social media can sometimes mean being out of the loop. Sato said that he always feels left out when someone is talking about Instagram or Snapchat.

For Euvrard, his disconnect from popular technology extends to his phone. He uses the LG B450 from 2002, a flip phone that can only accept phone calls and text messages with a battery life of half an hour.

According to Euvrard, since his phone is incapable of group texts or showing emojis, group chats with friends are more difficult for him. However, he is still able to meet up with friends and socialize. He says not having social media doesn’t affect who he is friends with.

Sell said that though people communicate through social media, he doesn’t feel out of the loop.

“I text and do other things,” Sell said, “so not having a Snapchat or Instagram doesn’t really affect me that much.

Infographic by RACHEL VIN/SAGAMORE STAFF