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#IfIHadAnExtraFiveMinutes: Viral Hashtag Actually Teaches Profound Lesson About Time

By Jonathan Franks
Published on: 10:52 PST, Mar 31, 2016

What would do with an extra five minutes in your day?

The now-viral hashtag, #IfIHadAnExtraFiveMinutes, apparently compelled many people to respond on Twitter with their proposed ideas and suggestions.

Like with most viral hashtags on Twitter designed to spark conversation, a substantial number of people took the humorous route — connecting witty punchlines to their “five minute” proposals.

The concept of having an extra five minutes a day to do anything is a pleasant thought for most people to consider. When you think of the reality that we all have the same 24 hours a day to work with regardless of where we live in the world, it’s hilarious to think that people all around the world have similar funny responses to this “added” five minute proposal.

On the other hand, there were also quite a few responses of a more serious nature posted on Twitter as well. In addition to the witty punchlines, many people shared proposed ideas that others would quickly concur with in general. If they legitimately had an extra five minutes every day, it is understandable why so many people would want to engage in such activities as making friends, enjoying the beauty of nature and their environment, and making better decisions in regards to how they live their lives overall.

No, the chances of ever extended a 24-hour day by five minutes are slim to none. However, that is where the profound lesson being inadvertently taught by the #IfIHadAnExtraFiveMinutes hashtag presents itself behind the scenes.

We don’t necessarily need to extend the standard 24-hour day in order to get an extra five minutes. Most people can easily find an “extra” five minutes just by carefully reviewing how they are using the 24-hour days that they already have!

Ironically, one of the biggest traps that quickly absorbs a lot more than just five minutes a day is the wonderful world of social media platforms such as Twitter — the same platform on which #IfIHadAnExtraFiveMinutes started trending!

According to AdWeek, over 2 billion people actively use social media profiles and platforms on a daily basis around the world. That is 28 percent of the global population.

The report further states that social media and social networking platforms absorb 28 percent of the media time spent online. Users between the ages of 15 and 19 (on average) spend a minimum of three hours daily using Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. If that’s not shocking enough, over 18 percent of people that use social media reportedly cannot last a few hours without checking Facebook at least once. Nearly 30 percent of people with iPhones daily check their Twitter feeds before they even get up in the morning.

It is very true that the world of social media has come along way when it comes to helping people stay connected and communicate efficiently with others on an international scale. However, the most important point that can be taken away from the #IfIHadAnExtraFiveMinutes hashtag is that perhaps you can use at least some of the time spent on social media profiles and pages to do something else more productive, engaging and enjoyable each day.

[Image Credit: Dollar Photo Club]

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