The Algorithmic Conductor
We are the global orchestra
Anti-social media continues to be a fascinating topic of conversation across mainstream and alternative media, as well as in private. Discussing the subject at length with friends (similarly aged mid-late thirties), we find ourselves ever nostalgic for times pre-social media and ‘smartphone’. The most alarmingly depressing demographics targeted by the algorithms governing ‘likes’ chasers, is amongst teens and children. Born into and raised in a society obsessed with online personas, curating a warped self-portrayal in order to derive dopamine hits from “friends” (mostly bots?) - these youngsters shall never know life without a handheld device.
Outdoors yet online
The ever illusive always just-out-of-reach quest to capture the moment has captured and imprisoned the imaginations of our youth at every turn. Using the running track at any park in Bangkok is an obstacle course filled with phones mounted upon tripod stands snapping endless photoshoots of maniacal smiles in the vein of Jack Nicholson’s “Heeeeere’s Johnny”! This ritual is followed by the filter selection, posting, then said humans basking in likes, whilst dipping in and out of their infinite scroll.
Spot the lone wolf by the lake dancing in front of their tripod in silence, no doubt to be spliced into a montage with a funky soundtrack, helping to elevate their online status very soon. Albeit temporarily. You’re only as good and as fresh as your last post in this fickle game.
Switch up the jogging route to the winding pathways beneath the beautiful shaded tree canopy crawling with exotic birds and squirrels. Behold multiple groups of teens dancing in silence in choreographically synced harmony for the tripod stand. They seem agitated, never content; they rinse-repeat-rehearse-rectify. Their routine has to be perfect.
They are all outside but they are not really outside. They are there but they are not really there.
A family of five strolls along in the walking lane. Dad pushes the pram with the baby on board, although most of his attention is on his screen. Mum is looking irritable as Dad is in another world, and keeps grinding his steps to a halt, for the benefit of additional attentional boosts for the screen-master. Their two young children, a boy and a girl, tug on Dad’s shirt to get his attention, even fleetingly, to show off some acrobatics.
Their efforts are futile.
Finally, Mum snaps and a short domestic argument takes place. The children are upset. Dad looks not only upset but positively livid that Mum would have the audacity to interrupt his screen time. Dad’s wild gesticulations pointing to the screen master demonstrate how critical his bidding was, and Mum throws her hands up in despair. She takes the reins of the pram, leaving Dad with his precious master. Mum manages to multi-task by pushing the pram and encouraging displays of acrobatic prowess from her children at the same time. Dad looks set to be in the doghouse for a while.
Adults jogging with one hand holding a device blasting out their favourite TV show possess varying degrees of spatial awareness. Some never look up, yet can maneuver bends, bumps, steps, and oncoming people traffic with ease. Others bump into other humans, apologise, then continue in their trance, before bumping into the next obstacle or tripping up and face-planting.
It resembles a silent disco in which everyone has taken mega doses of ketamine whilst suffering from intense social anxiety.
The latest “online challenge” has eager posters jumping out of speedboats and on occasion breaking their necks. How much is a viral post worth? Is it worth a life?
The willing or reluctant art of self promotion
Depending on the industry a human being works within largely dictates their prevalence across the anti-social media landscape, along with their own individual appetite for such engagement. The algorithmic conductor always demands more from the orchestra. An exquisitely beautiful location shot for the travel industry should speak for itself in terms of content creation, informing the audience of the dos and don’ts, keeping it local, getting off the beaten track, and avoiding pitfalls.
The shameless influencer will happily bleat at the camera, enticing “like + smash subscribe” orders, big up a few local eateries for a slice of commission, and wrap it up with some awkwardly filmed “candid” moments that look rather staged and not comical as desired.
Pity the personable yet professional travel agent, packaging together bespoke tours for corporate outings, now feeling the pressure to put themselves out there. Just a couple of selfies. Just a bio. Curate an online persona. The audience want engagement. They want to interact. They demand moaaaar!
The beautiful people that walk among us, gracing billboards, commercials, and selling products on behalf of companies as the face or figure of the brand, encounter similar dilemmas. Some are wholly consumed by the insatiable appetite of the algorithm to document their every moment, meals, movements, and mercantile meanderings. Others may well have an impressive portfolio of work and references that should be sufficient to land the next shoot. Then the question increasingly arises - “we need to see your followers, please could you show us your social media profiles?”
The individual can either relent and get to work garnering a following that becomes legion, eviscerating every last shred of privacy they have held onto. Or, they could purchase 30,000 bot followers for $100.
This is the world we live in.
I am grateful to be blessed with friends who are self-aware of all of this. Who remember what it is / was to be human. We can reminisce, we can laugh about it, we can theorise where it is all heading. Most importantly of all, we can enjoy the art of conversation, face to face, leaving our devices in another room, telling stories without screens as social crutches.
I hope you all have such friends too, for they are becoming fewer and farther between the cracks of the algorithmic conductor and its orchestra.
Bitcoin address:
39CbWqWXYzqXshzNbosbtBDf1YoJfhsr45
Monero address:
86nUmkrzChrCS4v5j6g3dtWy6RZAAazfCPsC8QLt7cEndNhMpouzabBXFvhTVFH3u3UsA1yTCkDvwRyGQNnK74Q2AoJs6Pt
The end-game of this is not pretty.
If someone spends their life in a shallow, binary (liked / not liked), artificial world, then they inevitably become separated from their basic humanity.
Other people become seen simply as cartoon allies or cartoon villains, simply on the basis of their screen relationship with you. Allies are to be praised, villains to be destroyed. There is no room for concepts such as context, understanding, forgiveness and humility.
The phone-obsessed are at the same time entirely ignorant, and completely certain that they are righteous.
If that simplistic mentality becomes commonplace in the real world, then seriously bad things are liable to happen. It could be argued that we are seeing the early signs of that already.
These phone people have truly learned the secret of living a crap life.
Their entire locus of validation is outside of themselves, that is, they measure their worth entirely by what other people think about them, via likes and infantile emojis. This leads to anxiety, stress, unlimited narcissism and an addiction to constantly surveilling the online landscape.
They are looking in the wrong place for self-worth. Any decent psychologist would advise that the only place to find true worth is by looking squarely inside yourself to judge how well you are living up to your ideals (whatever those are).
Added to everything, these phone people have zero personality or interesting conversation. They know nothing and have no ideas - except maybe for a new piece of Tiktok imbecility with which to wow their 'friends'.