There was a time, not so long ago, when privacy had it’s own and unique place in our lives. Like a cosy room in the quiet corner of a house, expanding into a vast, endless lush meadow against a clear blue sky. It was a cherished space, for contemplation, reflection, and intimacy with ourselves and those we loved. A womb for shared moments, for stolen kisses in secret places, and luminous exchange of sweet nothings between lovers – where affection did not require public demonstration, and when memories stayed safe in a warm embrace.
A Broadway Show
Circa 2019 and privacy lost its charm. Social media became our new private room, the cosy corner metamorphosed into a stage for a Broadway show – a flamboyant musical, rehearsed and scripted yet so stunning in visual appeal – consuming all five senses, spiralling us into a trance.
Exhibitionism
The world, as I see it, has reached a pinnacle of technological foreplay. Exhibitionism has replaced privacy as the new world order. Private moments, are not private anymore, as we are increasingly choosing to unabashedly exhibit intimate experiences. Nothing is a mystery or surprise – instant gratification has replaced anticipation. We post and re-post, share and re-share, tweet and re-tweet. Precious moments, places and people are now status updates – Instagram-able, Pinterest-able and Facebook-able! And ‘selfies’ – our new relation with the ‘self’.
Documenting EVERYTHING
Trapping all five senses into that little device we carry in our hands, in rapt attention we engage with the world, sharing every waking minute of our day and stimulating our sense of self worth with extravaganza. Post by post we create a projected life, subconsciously shredding the quality of actual lives into tiny morsels of emptiness. Our vulnerabilities are now shadowed by self-created imagery captured in picture posts ready for approval and validation from our technologically savvy counterparts and gizmo-friendly friends.
Real Life Vs. Online
Real life connections don’t satiate our souls as much as virtual reality. Have real-time connections become so futile? Are we truly equating happiness with ‘likes’ and ’emoticons’? Are we escaping healing powers of human connection and touch? And have real world rivetting conversations become a trivial pursuit? Or are we so malnourished of nurture to find a sense of completeness in a thread of news feeds and followers? Have we truly forgotten how sublime life can be?
It’s time to ask ourselves the hard-stuff, the kind of questions that peel apart layers revealing deep truths about our inner being – the core that we fear to show. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s time to end our torrid affair with technology and experience the magic of human connections.
