Something very interesting happened the week before last...
On December 15, I reopened my social media accounts following a hiatus I had began in September, a sort of digital detox.
The first thing I did was call one of my Communication Design clients who resides in the US. I recall we laughed at the fact that social media and online OTP (audio and video calling over such services as WhatsApp, Skype, Messenger etc) communication have become integrated in the conduct of business and almost impossible to fully divorce oneself from.
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Podbay is my new podcasting app thanks to Google Podcasts deleting all the podcast episodes I had downloaded onto my device back in November. In addition, BBC Sounds completes my audio listening experiencing given that while BBC podcasts are listed on other podcasting platforms, they are available to listen or download only on the BBC Sounds app.
During this transition, I came to realize that Podbay has an even better podcast Discovery tool than Google Podcasts. With this, I have started to listen to new shows that I can now proudly call favorites. Following are three of them:
- Matiri Ngemi.
- Prodigy.
In the Sex, Status and Stuff episode of Prodigy, host Lowell Brillante speaks with Professor W. Keith Campbell who explains what our current understanding of narcissistic personality disorder is. It is a brilliant episode, where I got to learn there are multiple types of narcissists. And so much more.
Relevant to this episode is Prof Campbell's mention of the role narcissism plays in today's world where we are globally connected through the Internet and in particular, social media. In essence, many people social networks is one place where narcissism thrives. In fact, it is what drives a significant number of posts and comments on social networks.
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New Amsterdam is a medical TV show that is currently in the 3rd season. In S01E09, a teenager named Shay wants to have top surgery but the parents are opposed to it since Shay is too young. Following a consultation with Dr Iggy Frome, it is agreed that the teen can make that decision. Iggy also tells him that he needs to wait a year until his breast tissue is done growing so they can figure out the best surgery for him. This greatly upsets Shay.
From a TV Fanatic recap:
He (Shay) gets angry and tweets out that Iggy is a anti-trans. It spreads like wildfire and is the first thing you see when you Google. Iggy sits down with him and they clear the air. Shay knows Iggy isn't transphobe but he felt pressured by all of his followers to see the surgery through as soon as possible because they raised money in a go fund me.
The takeaway from this episode is what Iggy tells Shay about how social media affects our lives:
Social media is weird. It's like we are not even us when we're on it. It's like we're the thing we wish we were, or even worse, we're the thing that we think others want us to be.
- Dr Iggy Frome (New Amsterdam)
And that is the endless battle many have to endlessly fight while on social networks. The decision to either remain yourself, pretend to be that which you aspire to be, or submit yourself to pressure and validation from followers and online strangers. In this way, you therefore become what you think they want you to be.
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Let's be honest... Life is inundated with challenges. And we all have a bad day too many a time. And while we all an't be royals, you don't even have to be mad at Twitter because life sucks. Be Yourself Always and life will without a doubt, be way less sad.
