As Facebook and the real world become continually harder to separate in the minds of the masses, it's easy to lose sight of how far we seem to have tumbled as a species since the advent of 'social networking'. And no, I'm not adressing the fact that the average human now spends hours of every day in front of a computer screen when they could be getting involved in any number of other, more productive activities. That's a given fact in a digital age, which isn't going to change any time soon. I'm talking specifically about the obsession with updating people on what you're doing, while you're doing it. It seems that people cannot validate an experience that they've had/are having without immediately sharing it with the world through their online presence of choice.
At a Jay-Z concert I attended in Summer 2008, my friend and I were seated next to a bunch of teenagers from, also from Liverpool. Sure enough, as soon as the man himself walked out on stage, the guy to my immediate right whips out the cameraphone. Fair enough, I thought. He's probably never seen the rap icon in the flesh before, so he wanted a grainy pixellated souvenir. I can just about see the logic in that. The first song finishes, the crowd goes wild. He's still got the cameraphone in his hand. Obviously I noticed it, but it wasn't irritating me - it was his choice, and besides I was far too busy enjoying the show. However, this carried on for what was basically the whole show. The WHOLE. SHOW. Not only that - he was watching the playback on screen, and not even looking at the stage. So basically, he may as well not have been there. He missed the fucking thing entirely, for the benefit of recording the entire event for playback through a 3-inch screen of blurred colours and distorted noise. He probably never even watched it again.
As I'm sure you're aware, this isn't exactly an isolated incident. This obsession with digital archiving and the internet persona has now come to the point where people are updating their statuses from Glastonbury festival. Is nothing sacred?! Festivals are a rare chance to catch people at their most vibrant, colourful and warm. Living in a country like Britain, that's not a chance you should waste a second of, least of all with your head buried in an iPhone. How anyone could even remember what social networking is at such a carnival of hedonism and glorious idiocy is beyond me, but let's look at the possibilities. Either they're chemically addicted to Facebook, or they just really thought their friends needed to know that they're just about to watch Rolf Harris on the Pyramid Stage. 'That'll get me a few notifications', they ponder, as they squint in the sun to navigate around the touch-screen. 'Maybe people will think I'm interesting, and living my life to full'. Forgetting for a second how pathetic this train of thought is, let's face facts - the social approval aspect is a dead end, because everyone who reads it will just hate you for being there. Let's face it, you really don't deserve to be, given that you're spending half your time on fucking Facebook.
I understand why social networking is so astronomically popular. Firstly, there's the heightened state of self-importance. Every time someone comments on their picture, writes on their wall or sends them a picture of a cat in a tumble dryer, it sends the ego a message that the person in question is their friend, and someone they're on some kind of wavelength with. It's instant peer approval, packed up and ready to go. However, perhaps even more potent is the scientific aspect of the thought processes involved. Each time they get their little ego shot, a small dose of seratonin is released in the brain. The brain gets addicted to these constant doses of the feel-good chemical, and panics somewhat without them. Therefore, most users will log in every day, regardless of whether they're expecting information of any importance whatsoever, just to get their fix. It's a similar process to computer game addiction, particularly in MMORPGs such as the infamous World of Warcraft. This is a game that never ends, but there are almost infinite goals you can achieve, each being rewarded in one way or another. Therefore, the brain suspends rational thought, and simply seeks the reward, leading to hours, days and even weeks lost in a fantasy world. Having said that, it strikes me as ironic that a lot of people would likely mock or pity anyone who played such a game every day, yet are quite happy to spend hours tagging their friends in a series of identical photos taken the night before. While we're on that subject, is so necessary to take 250 pictures of your group of friends on a night out? I know that it's going to be comforting to have photographic evidence that you had fun at some point, so you can look back on it with fondness when you're old and boring, but maybe you should try and actually enjoy these moments you have, rather than posing for the camera every 30 seconds.
Anyway, I get it. It's your own personal ego machine, an excellent time-killer and can often fulfil its original purpose of catching up with friends; but it's taking over our lives to a ridiculous extent. Now obviously, it's not for me or anyone else to tell others how to live, or how to spend their leisure time. I just find it horribly depressing to witness so many people throwing away what little enjoyable time we have on this earth by feeling so compelled to make the moment digital. Think about it logically - you gain nothing, save for the fix of someone 'liking' it perhaps, and you lose most of what that moment has to offer. The real memorable experiences you have are fleeting, and should be cherished. One moment of pure euphoria is worth more than a lifetime of notifications.
This is life, so live it. Don't concern yourself with how it's going to look later on, or what your online community will make of it. You can tweet your memories and reflections when you're at a low ebb, or as criminally bored as I am right now. To those of you who didn't think I was aware of the irony and hypocrisy inherent in this blog - do as I say, not as I do.
Alex
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