The Sunset Question
With a dozen social networks to choose from, is not sharing even an option?
Imagine you and a friend are on the roof. You’re surprised to witness an epic, beautiful sunset. Pink, red, blue, gold, purple, grey. Shafts of light shine like the fingers of the divine. You’re awed at the beauty of creation, the miracle of life…
You bust out your phone and snap a pic. Great. Now you’ve documented this epic, amazing sunset. You will never forget it.
But wait, anything this beautiful, this epic, this unique, simply must be shared: should you Facebook it, for the most exposure? Instagram it #sunsetporn? Tweet it to your followers? Snapchat it to your besties?
Shoot, why not all of the above?
So you blast it out. The notifications start pouring in.
Facebook likes! Instagram hearts! Re-tweets!
You’re loving it. You’ve shared this sunset with hundreds, maybe thousands of people, they love the sunset. They love you. You feel the warm fuzzies.
But what happened to the sunset itself? It has faded into the background. (And your friend has too. Remember your friend you’re on the roof with?)
Sharing can be insidious. It can take us out of the present moment. Instead of just enjoying a delicious meal, a beautiful view, a rainbow, we must blast it out, wait for the response.
Some questions to consider:
WHAT are we sharing and with WHOM? Why?
Is there something special about a private moment— an experience that is undocumented, unshared?
Is social network ‘love’ actually rewarding on a deep emotional level?
We need RELATIONSHIPS — to share our lives— worries, fears, victories, failures — how well can social networks fill this need?
Why do we feel the need to capture and share a beautiful moment?
