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The Cranky Codger: Social Media: The All-Seeing Eye and the Fall of Private Thought
Take a seat, dear readers, pull up a chair, perhaps a cushion, and lend this old codger your ear. Today, I've been tasked – nay, burdened – with a topic that almost astounds me with its absurdity. That most ill-conceived spawn of the internet age: social media.
Ah, social media, the 21st-century panopticon! Once upon a simpler time, we could sit quietly, sipping our tea, contemplating the universe or the subtleties of a good, hearty stew. Our thoughts were our own, private little treasures, shared only with trusted companions or noble souls daring enough to withstand our soliloquies. Not anymore, I daresay. Now our once cherished contemplations are thrown out for the world to scrutinise over their avocado toast or during commercial breaks.
We paint these meticulously curated, rose-tinted facades of our lives that rarely reflect reality. Your neighbour, usually seen wearing old slippers and a tatty dressing gown, suddenly becomes 'Insta-glam' with her morning cappuccino and pedicure posts.
Then there's the language, heavens, the language! Every other word is a hashtag, and let's not even speak of the blasphemic slaughtering of the Queen's English. Where once we had letters, now we have tweets - tiny morsels of information, capable of unleashing a tsunami of outrage or a wave of 'viral' approval.
We've all got that acquaintance who fancies themselves a 'wannabe influencer' these days...
But it's not all innocuous. When did 'checking-in' on friends mean spying their every move from a digital distance? Every meal, every holiday, every darn cat photo is there for public perusal. Not to mention the dreaded 'paparazzi parents', sharing their offspring's every milestone, from first steps to embarrassing teenage mishaps. Pity the children growing up in this digital fishbowl!
And let's not forget about the insidious trolling, the often merciless mouthpiece of cowards and keyboard warriors. Ah, the sweet irony! How hath man thought to improve communication, only to breed a new level of hostility and resentment?
I've heard it said that these online connections bring us closer together, break down barriers. What a load of tosh! When was the last time you saw a young whippersnapper lift their head from their smartphone long enough to engage in a genuine face-to-face interaction? These so-called 'social' networks are wondrous tools for dismantling the art of conversation.
I don't refute the technology's ability to connect us, to revolutionise communication. But at what cost, dear reader? The loss of privacy? The erosion of true human connection and experiencing the moment as it is?
Now, I'll get off my soapbox. Until next time: keep your noses out of your Facebook, and in a good book. And in case you're wondering, no, I don't want to follow you on Twitter.
Stay cranky my friends!
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