How many times do you get lost looking at your Instagram feed? Do you find yourself scrolling down the Facebook timeline and get overwhelmed with all the stuff happening around you?
Then you are officially a voyeur, meaning you secretly watch other peoples lives. And like me, you probably thrive on seeing their conquests and defeats. We are all Humans anyway and our most basic emotions such as anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise are part of who we are, regardless of who we want to become.
I’m not putting the social media on the bad evil corner, but I am putting it in a dark corner if not used with caution. A voyeur was initially tied to the idea of seeing someone in a sexual act. Nowadays we use it for almost anything that implies watching someone from behind our shades and gaining pleasure from it.
Growing up “internetless” (a word that doesn’t exist in the English dictionary) gave me tools to deepen my thoughts, debate life, live real-life experiences, rebel against my parents and feel the range of human emotions without naming them…
… because they didn’t need a shelf to be put on, they were part of growing up. Everyone went through those motions and we knew how to surrender to the process of becoming.
The algorithm back then was simple. To be cool you had to have a few friends you could party with and call any time day or night. You had to smoke a joint or two and rebel a bit against your parents. You could skip classes, but at the end of the year, if you didn’t pass your exams you were a loser.
Nowadays, it’s a whole new ball game.
It’s the Algorithm of Human Stupidity that wins above everyone and everything else.
To be cool, you have to have millions of “friends” you don’t know and will probably never meet or talk to. You also, should try, different drugs and be alienated as much as possible from the reality…
And hell, while you are at it just forget your parents because you are too busy and never make it to school because knowledge sucks.
You are only as cool as your Instagram-feed perfect color scheme. You can’t sit at the table unless your flawless pictures gain momentum and likes. Sex is optional as long as you and your boyfriend are worthy of Instagram success. You probably don’t need to have a conversation about feelings because you have a video dancing #DoTheShiggy, therefore you have proof that you have some feelings because, well because the song said so.
And if your life looks picture perfect then f*ck the rest. It’s not about doing it, it’s about appearing you do it.
But, am I really getting out of touch with what matters. Are we living in an algorithm age that is making us very stupid, very superficial and totally out of touch with each other?
I truly believe in the power of technology to help us became whomever we want to be.
But, is that someone authentic?
Is it someone that the algorithm defines as cool, with the perfect number of ”friends”, that are not real, with perfect lives that don’t really exist? With moments that are made up for others and not thyself?
I opt out of this algorithm. I can deal without having a million followers, neither perfect pictures. But I would never jeopardize real connections, awesome sunsets, amazing trips, and the freedom to live on my own terms.
An algorithm is not going to define my life. Will it define yours?