No Offence
Sometimes, I think we are all idiots. No offence.
I worry about the future of society and where it’s headed when we are all living dual lives. Both online and off. This is not to say that the society we live in is a dystopia due to the role of technology, rather that there is a lot of overwhelm that comes with living in a globalised society.
There are moments when it is all too much. I feel stressed about the future of the planet, the rights of women, how we perceive cross sections of society and how when it all becomes too much, we can often turn away from it. TL;DR*, expect for social issues.
We are in an awesome time, and I use the word awesome in its truest form, daunting and inspiring awe. My mind is constantly bending, and I am continually trying to develop the language and pace to stay across what is relevant, take action on what needs acting upon and not get lost in trying to document it all. I thought we were moving past the, whole ‘if you didn’t post it did it even happen?’ conundrum but I don’t know if we are.
Social Media is an excellent vehicle for social change, for conversation, for connection for so many things. But I wonder if our constant turning to this platform has dimmed other ways we can be active and vocal. The new ABC show, Why are you like this?, follows the lives of three millennials whose desire for wokeness often sees them completely missing the point. I watched six minutes of this show and turned it off because I felt incredibly uncomfortable watching people try to do what we are all trying to do but more than anything it felt performative. I think of black squares for Black Lives Matter, black and white photos of women who may not have even known the origin of the trend and people posting photos of their outfits and trying to make it about International Women’s Day.
However, is performing wokeness better than not doing anything at all? I am even nervous to publish this, that even by questioning how these messages are circulated I am questioning something that needs to be given airtime.
And even though I think we are all idiots, I am continually warmed by the conversations I see us having online. As I type this, I am processing the kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard who was murdered by a police officer whilst walking home in the UK. My feed has been flooded with stories by people sharing their experiences, acknowledging the bullshit that women have to put up with and educating people.
I fully support these causes but if we consider that we have dual citizenship of the online world and its offline counterpart we need to consider in which space we are taking action and how by doing so on one, means converting it in the other.
*An internet acronym that stands for Too Long Didn’t Read. I only explain it hear because up until recently, I’d never heard of it and I thought others might be the same.