We’ve all fallen down the rabbit hole that is The Digital Realm, at some recent point in our lives. Some of us, in fact, have willingly jumped headlong into it, with no intention of ever climbing back out. Whether it was the entire weekend spent Netflix and chilling, binge-watching our favorite series, or the hours, on end, whiled away on social media – we’ve all tumbled down, down, down that hole. As such, we’ve become hopelessly caught up in a dimension where the line between fact and fiction is more than a tad imperceptible. Case in point: you think all those rave reviews you read online are real? Think again. We get so lost in cyber reality that the question of the Caterpillar in the Wonderland down the rabbit hole rings truer than ever: “WHO ARE YOU?” Do we still have a life and an identity outside of the Internet of Things?
To make yet another allegorical reference, it’s as though we live in a cave and see reality as a mere shadow, whereas we could actually – should actually – be living in reality. Plato would shake his head in knowing resignation at us all.
On demand, by demand
It is difficult, to say the least, to escape the long shadow of the internet. The power is literally at our fingertips – on demand, by demand. You name it, you can access it: shows, music, books, shopping, news (false or otherwise), friends (again, false or otherwise), learning resources, sex, food, audio visual experiences, games, etcetera, etcetera, and etcetera. This list is as long as the possibilities are seemingly endless. The only way to live out of the internet’s digital shadow is to – GASP! – switch off.
To disconnect.
To be very sarcastic about it, in Manila this disconnection is often inadvertent, given the city’s subpar internet service and speed. And oh, the collective “freak out” that ensues such disconnection.
The great escape
For many of us, the bottom line is that the digital world is far more enticing than the real world. All that seems real, online, is (for the most part) mere escape. Real life can be super harsh, and it just seems less challenging and more pleasurable to exist in the digital domain. Think: Ready Player One, the book or the movie version.
For instance, friendships are less stressful to maintain when you don’t have to deal with in-person interactions, digital amusement can be had at a pittance, entertainment is effortless, and real-world responsibilities are easier to shirk when you are so absorbed in altered reality.
It is escape, at its cyber finest. Houdini himself could not have done it any better.
Connectedness, exploited
The popularity of the internet – in particular, of social media – is built primarily on one thing: the intrinsic human need to connect. We’ve all heard the adage that not no man or woman is an island. Most everyone, no matter the race or religion, has a primal need for connection.
Of course, the phenomenon that is social media is also rooted in another human trait, one that is far less noble, and that is the propensity toward narcissism. This has birthed the selfie addiction, a modern day phenomenon that I, for one, find rather alarming (and a touch laughable but that’s just me being snarky). Don’t get me wrong, I have no issues with selfies – in fact, I enjoy taking a few, here and there. But when you take six or more a day, then psychologists say you have a problem. Recent research by Mark D. Griffiths of Nottingham Trent University in the UK and Janarthanan Balakrishnan of Thiagarajar School of Management in India says you could have a mental illness if selfies fill your need for self-confidence, attention, and a sense of fulfilment, among others.
Connection or addiction?
Culturally speaking, the need to stay connected is even more deeply rooted in a country like the Philippines – a trait evidenced by the extended family setup, where even a family friend with no blood relation to you is regarded an aunt or uncle. It comes as no surprise, therefore, to learn that the Philippines is the world’s Numero Uno consumer of social media. Statistics recently released by London-based consultancy, We Are Social, pegged the number of social media users on these islands at a whopping 67 million people – to be specific, that’s 67 million Facebooks accounts in the country. WOW. Just wow. That is not even including the 10 million Filipinos on Instagram. Wow, WOW! Double wow!
Further, the 2018 report revealed that Filipinos spend a mind-blowing 9 hours and 29 minutes a day online, with 47 percent of this time being used up on – you guessed it – Facebook. The rest of the time is mostly blown on YouTube, shopping, and news sites.
Now that’s one deep, super slippery rabbit hole, if you ask me. It begs the question, is this situation rooted in the need for connection, or has it become pure addiction? The latter, methinks.
Things aren’t always what they seem
Some folk, however, are coming off the effects of the magical potion or pill they ingested at the bottom of the rabbit hole and are beginning to see the downside of social media and the digital daze. The proliferation of fake news is one of them – a hot topic globally, and even more so in these parts, of late. You also have the rising rates of depression worldwide, especially in the younger generation. I mean seriously, how can you NOT get depressed, when the standard of what you “should be” is shoved in your face, relentlessly? Everyone, BUT you, seems to be living their best life ever, according to social media posts and stories. Come on, though… REALLY? No one’s life is as charmed as their status updates would have us believe. Then, of course, there’s the now infamous Cambridge Analytica scandal. If you’ve been living under a gynormous rock, the issue involved the inappropriate collection of personal data of Facebook users and the indiscriminate use of such to influence voter opinion. And that’s partly how Trump took the throne.
Subconsciously, our fears of being swallowed up by digital monsters are already reflected in pop culture – which is, historically, how it always goes. Case in point, Netflix’ smash success, Black Mirror, paints grim pictures of a world enslaved by all things digital. The rise of zombie everything is another example. AI themes, yet another one. True; these days, we all somewhat live in a zombie-like state and artificial intelligence no longer refers to robots, alone – in my opinion, we have all sort of developed an intelligence that is somewhat artificial, and have become robotic, to a degree. Alive yet also deadened to life.
Stay silent to survive
This is not to discredit in any shape, form, or fashion the upside of social media and the digital domain. We are all so well-versed with its enormous benefits, I do not feel the need to extol them further. This IS to say, however, that – as with all good things – everything should be had in moderation. At this point though, it would seem that moderation has flown out the window. So, I reckon we need to go to the other extreme and work our way back to a happy medium. And that extreme would be to disconnect, every now and then. Put your phone down. Kill your data, 3G, 4G, LTE, whatever (I have). Unplug that modem. Go on self-imposed social media breaks. Take a hiatus from selfie-mode and point your lens at life out there!

 
 
By ANGIE DUARTE