Are people as shallow as social media makes it seem?

The other day, I was at a concert. I had been queueing in the cold for much longer than I am willing to admit and was rewarded with what should have been a perfect view from the third row — if it hadn’t been for two people in the second row, who deemed it necessary to film, which resulted in me having the privilege of seeing their smartphone screens instead of the musician who was standing mere feet away from me. At another concert a few days later, the supporting act asked everyone to hold up their smartphones to create ‘that special mood lighting’ — and there I was, cringing, in my personal hell.

Caveat: Up next is a rant about everything being better in the old days. Remember when people took photos to capture special moments and be able to relive them later? Back then, they were something personal only shared with a select group of close friends and family, to let them be a part of your experiences and get excited with you. Now photos are being shared on social media platforms with hundreds of people, with the aim of polishing your own online persona and making you feel validated by the amounts of likes your posts receive. It’s only human to seek other people’s approval and to want them to like you. But the pessimist in me cannot imagine that you could make any meaningful connection with people you barely know just on the basis of showcasing your personal highlights.

I would argue that the existence of Facebook and other social media platforms is the main reason why people use their smartphones so excessively. Of course, with easy access to cameras comes the careless usage by average consumers. But the desire to prove themselves online is making people’s inhibition levels shrink. While it would have been disrespectful to take a picture of someone without their permission a few years ago, now it appears to be acceptable. If you ever decide to go to the stage door after a theatre performance, that becomes painfully apparent. Normal people, and not just teenagers, turn into would-be paparazzi, desperate to get that blurry picture to prove to others online that they’ve been there, done that. In my opinion, people should take a step back and reflect on their social media consumption. Does it make you happy? Does it actually have a positive effect on your ‘offline’ social life? Maybe we should all go back to enjoying the moment a bit more and treasuring our memories for what they are, personal, instead of documenting our every step.

But as the saying goes, every man is the artisan of his own fortune. So who am I to tell others how they should spend their time? Quite frankly, I don’t even care. I just wish people would be a bit more considerate. The next time you hold up your smartphone to share your life with the world, think about the people behind you whose view you’re blocking. It’s still rude even if others behave the same way.