My greatest pet peeve traveling abroad with other Americans is the immediate “snap-a-pic reflex." See something new? Quick, take a picture. You also do not know when something new might pop out at you, so be ready at all times--eye in the lens, finger on the shutter.
No one is truly looking around at the surrounding beauty. No one is thinking about this moment, this building or this environment and what it means to him. She is not meditating over the visuals, the smells, the history or the people around her. No one is connecting to the space.
But the photos look fabulous.
On balance, we treat every present moment as a memory to document. If we are too focused on capturing the memory, instead of living out full, natural experiences in real time, what do those memories even mean?
I am victim to this, too. Taking pictures of every experience, to have and to share, is fun. We now have a tool to go back to that moment and reflect, and we can share it on Facebook to show everyone our lives are glamorous and full. I want to isolate that word--“full.” Let’s explore what living a “full” life means and how this memory-centric lifestyle changes the incentive structure.
Our family and friends make our lives feel full because we enjoy each other’s energy, we help each other day-to-day and we explore our deepest thoughts on life and the universe. Who are we and what are we doing here? What do you want to do in life? Who do you have a crush on? We also make mistakes and hate each other. But then we find forgiveness and become stronger. There is nothing separating us when it comes to each of these experiences. It is just you and I, so your potential impact on my life--the energy, the emotion and the direction--is direct, absolute and vibrant.
Today, however, it is not just you and I. It is you and I and the rest of the world in our pockets. Everything we do and say to each other only occurs in the context of everything else in the world happening and everyone else looking at us, and vice-versa. We actively play into it because this access to infinite “connections” all the time is delicious, or at least it seems so. Often, when I get a meal, I say to my friends, “I wish I had an Instagram so I can fully enjoy this meal.” This gargantuan, social media world has changed the incentive structure for a full life so much that I cannot even feel fulfilled by my meal without others’ “likes” and comments.
Your potential impact on my life is now prodigiously diluted. You and I are doing less, connecting less, because we are sharing more online. But what we are sharing is the most inorganic, glossy version of ourselves--all of this, every day, for years. These become our memories. So what do these memories even mean?
I can confidently say that I meditate over almost every moment in my life, what it means and how it impacts my ultimate life story. But I am also a hypocrite because sometimes I, too, substitute experiencing big, real moments with documenting them for Facebook. Naturally, as with most things in life, we need to find a balance.
I speak for most of my friends when I say that we are all a little fatigued by this social media whirlpool. For now, find times to turn off your digital self and throw one back. When you die, you will carry the sum total energy of your whole life experience with you, not the 100+ likes your got on your profile picture.
Look into your friend’s eyes and just think, “I am here. You are here. And feeling your presence and energy is awesome.”
Rence Nemeh is a Trinity senior. His column runs every other Friday.
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