It was during my time travelling that a 40-minute queue for a photo in front of a beautiful waterfall in Bali, Indonesia made me realise that something may be awry.
The photo above may show that I'm happy to be there, but the experience was marred by the fact that the lady behind me in the queue (I can't believe I'm typing that there was a queue) asked me what poses I found to do off of instagram. I laughed it off to try not to embarass her, but come on. It also didn't help that there were 2 Russian ladies ahead of us who took 10 minutes each, acting like it was a Miss Universe competition for their 2,000 followers.
This is the sort of obsession that a lot of people had, to focus on what other people were posting from around the world, and assimilate with that to feel a sense of belonging where none exists. For myself and some others at this waterfall, we went up for a minute, got our photo, and came back down, because it's considerate to others. That's the paradox of social media, ignoring and cheapening the reality around you to fulfill your fabricated digital lifestyle.
It was an interesting feeling for me. Whilst I was in South-East Asia, I almost felt as if I had been teleported through my smartphone screen to the "paradises" that certain people so intensely plaster over their profiles to project as if they have a perfect lifestyle. Time and time again, I would stumble across wannabe Kim K's at the airport, at the beach, at the hostel, at the restaurant, or (god forbid) at a waterfall taking 5,000 photos of whatever they're doing to people who ultimately will not truly care about what they have to show. I know I, as well as many others, can see straight through it.
One concept this use of social media reminds me of is labelled as "adventure capitalism", which to put it briefly, is the returning of privileged people from previously colonist countries to their former colonies for holidays or for business because they have the money to do so coming from rich countries. It encourages those followers who view the tourists' stories and posts to idolise what they're doing, and many fall for it. (Let me be clear, I am aware that I also took photos and posted them, but I am more concerned with those who are clearly engulfed with their image on social media.)
What's the wider point though? It is, undeniably, that it's all incredulous, consumerist s***.
Take a look at this photo underneath of Lebron James breaking the scoring record, and have a think why the crowd might be doing what they're doing. Take your time please.
I would genuinely love to hear your thoughts, because perspective is everything. But this is my blog, so I'm going to focus on mine for now.
They're all witnessing history through the medium of their smartphones - now why would that be? Is it for a memory they can hang on a wall at home? Maybe. Is it so that they can show their family at home who are probably watching on television anyway? Nah. I believe it's about proving to other people that you were there on social media, otherwise were you really there, brah? It is to compare the standard of your life against your followers and compete in the rat race. This isn't true for everyone, obviously. But at that NBA game, I guarantee it's a large majority buying in to that mindset.
Social media has evolved in to a necessary evil in our world. Without it, people would feel desperately disconnected to their peers, which is understandable. With it, people become fixated on the presentation of themselves through their appearance and the experiences they are able to cram in before they die. I'd ask that we pull back the need for it, but I don't feel that will happen. It will only become more intense as technology becomes a larger part of our lives.
Comments