Some argue the digital age is causing society to disconnect. Some think it is just the opposite - they believe we are more connected than ever before. Is the world indeed becoming smaller... or are we?
Is the digital age more real than virtual or is it a hoax, a fraud?
Our presence on the web...
we have every means available to us
we express
we write
we vent
we defend
we play
we have our space
we have our democratic right
we have a soap box
we have a launch pad for ideas and thoughts
we have a world orchestrated at the touch of our hand
we have a world just to our liking every time we log in
we connect
that awesome word
so filled with promise and opportunity
the anticipation of things await our discovery
so filled with promise and opportunity
Why connect?
we seek answers
we long to fill an emptiness
we hope to find likeness
we explore possibilities
we hide behind the screen
we sneak glances at life outside ourselves
Why not live reality vs. virtual reality?
Why are we so afraid to connect in person?
Because the tools and vices of society have painted a different picture.
Messages dictate, albeit subtly -
we should keep to ourselves
don't make eye contact
don't talk to strangers
don't accept gifts from adults you don't know
you are not safe
your children are not safe
our country is not safe
constantly bombarded with messages
We follow the messages because we are a society built on fear, so we follow the messages and then realize we are all extremely lonely!! So what do we do?
We are a prideful society that finds it difficult to admit mistakes.
We can't go back and say - 'oh sorry that plan didn't work so we’re revising the rules.'
Please make eye contact!
Smile at strangers!
Help people in need, even if you don't know them!
Share the goodness of your heart!
Humanity is worth the risk!
Humanity needs the love!
Humanity craves acceptance!
The weak minded have been swept away into the growing current of needs and wants and lacks. Seeking connection, seeking out the ONE thing that will fill their void.
There are those who remain steeped in reality, they see the weakness of others as an opportunity. They feed the hungry what apears to taste like connection -but leaves us hungry for more.
Because it is not safe to connect in person,we now hide behind our screens. We can talk to anyone at all, from anywhere in the world. No one knows your past, your present, or your future. They only know what you choose to tell them.
WE CAN HIDE WHO WE REALLY ARE
Why do people ever seek to be something other than be who they are? Is the internet to blame? OR Is it really society's cry out suppression?
Is the internet soothing the supplication of our society? OR Is the internet opening doors to new ways of seeing ourselves?
The social networks entice, invite, and give us a sense of connection.
Is the connection valid? Is it true?
Do we really share the truth of who we are?
On the internet we can choose what we want people to take in.
We decide what we want people to believe is truth.
The relationships formed on the social networks... are they real?
People can chat hours on end online with people they have never met.
Yet, the same people cannot make eye contact on the buses, the trains...
Never touching the faces, wiping the tears, living the hardships side by side.
People can make love to someone online
but live next door to someone for years...
without so much as having a cup of coffee with them
We send virtual flowers to our friends
and some how it restores a sense of compassion and kindness?
Have we lost the ability to REALLY connect?
Connection in the digital world is an "action" without meaning.
Void of intent, of heart, of life, of love, of purpose.
Although it seems clear that digital technology has enabled a greater sense of not belonging than ever this form of communication may never change.
People NEED the anonymity because it gives them a false sense of
attractiveness
power
and hope...
a sense they belong somewhere
a feeling of being connected without judgment
a feeling of acceptance, of being loved
But when technology becomes a facilitator in life, are we any richer or fuller as people? What is it that we share that really adds value to each other's lives?
No doubt there are places on the internet that really communicate great issues.
No doubt the early social networks served a purpose grown from common needs.
Todays social networks remind me of junior high games and popularity contests.
In the end, it does not matter how many virtual bouquets were sent, or how much good karma you gave away, or how many times you smile at someone on a social network -
When we turn off the monitor, that world disappears and we are left the reality of our lives. Perhaps this is the energy driving the exploding of the social networks. Society does not want to turn their computers off. People are willing to lose sleep to stay connected. No one wants to be left feeling empty and alone.
Can anything really ever take the place of human interaction, the face to face (F2F) contact?
Our news, our buying and selling habits, our social lives... tangled in circuitry and bytes of modern digital communication. Many believe the digital age is this amazing technology that has brought the world together, brought people together. Are we settling?
Are we settling for something less in ourselves?
Can society "relearn" the skills to connect once again with humanity?
Go beyond what is obvious
Society would have us deny everything in us to feed on the propaganda they send our way. Marketing tells us we are not beautiful enough, not thin enough, not sexy enough, not stylish enough, not rich enough...
not enough
not ever enough
So we begin to doubt what our true voice would have to say about anything.
It is not a coincidence that on the pages of facebook, there are ads for diet, and other marketing opportunities to capitalize on our insecurities as they unfold on the screen. When we turn off the computer and our real lives are the same... unchanged by our moment of inflated sense of being better for doing what? Doing nothing and gaining nothing.
The simple truth is that what we need most... is not bought... is not acquired through the web... it is the human touch, personal recognition and acceptance, love and compassion. Things the digital age is unable to provide.
There is no replacement for humanity... real connectivity.
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