Persona Ex Machina Reclaiming Authenticity

you might say we’re good

ten years into the social media

revolution

from the incipient chat rooms to myspace

to now the cultural staple that is

tick tock from the advent of this

technology

debates have raged on its educational

administrative and recreational

potential benefits

as well as the emergence of novel

threats ranging from cyber bullying to

ddosing

suffice it to say the philosophical

divide

seems analogous to the essentialized

argument on either side of the gun

control dialogue

proponents of the right to bear arms

will say

guns don’t kill people people kill

people

just as advocates of the unbridled use

of technology would assert that both the

benefits and harms

are merely reflections of our own human

capabilities

in an age in which an individual’s

platform for expression is limited only

by his

tech savviness the question that remains

to be answered is

how influenced is the influencer

has our obsession with the advancements

of technology

blinded us from seeing our own social

decay

or are we simply witnessing innate

aspects of growth

being expressed in unprecedented ways

with the rise of digital communications

brought upon recently by the global

pandemic

we have achieved a greater accessibility

and convenience than ever before

yet as we are rapidly ushered into the

new age

we must question if it is not simply the

medium is changing

but we as a people as well as we rush

towards the enticing future

blurring the lines between online and

the real world

we must consider are we losing sight of

our own humanity

and if so what can we do to reclaim it

h.g wells was referred to in his time

with many titles

a prolific author a science fiction

visionary and even an active journalist

greater than any of his occupational

accolades however was his reputation

as a futurist someone who explores the

possible

outcomes of the near or distant future

through his

fascination with humanity’s next step

wells epitomized

the challenges of the future it is quite

fitting then that in 1938 his now world

famous novel the war of the worlds

was adopted for radio by the namesake

filmmaker

orson welles who sought to test the

limits of the medium that at the time

was

beginning to become ubiquitous on

halloween night

the adaptation aired live on the

colombian radio network

with a single disclaimer stating that it

was part of a modified

adaptation about 20 minutes into the

segment

the typical news and weather reports

were abruptly interrupted

by a series of news bulletins that

warned the public

of an oncoming martian invasion

dazed newscasters described an

apocalyptic scene descending onto new

york city

many americans who had tuned into the

segment midway through

mistook this work of fiction as a

legitimate indication

of extraterrestrial forces storming the

country

the mass hysteria that ensued is

disputed as being a historical

embellishment

with some claiming that several

listeners committed suicide at a frenzy

and others claiming the public response

was more measured

nevertheless it is well documented that

conversations and newspapers around the

country

were dominated by outrage at the

subversive

and deceptive experimental media

a public outright who regulates such

programs emerged

and orson welles earned his status as a

renowned

dramatist now although not all of us may

be able to relate

to such an experience with radio i think

we can all understand the feeling of

alarmed bewilderment after seeing a fake

news headline on instagram or

perhaps being forwarded a provocative

article of

questionable origin by a family member

or friend

the internal dialogue of no

that can’t be true that we have no doubt

all experienced in some capacity is just

as applicable to

our lives as it was to those of orson

welles’s in the 20th century

the way that the media performed damage

control

following the incident seems to be very

reminiscent of how

our newest channels synthesize the

latest presidential debates or

explain the latest stock market fiasco

and the way that orson welles himself

profited off the exposure and criticism

following that day seems to be a

precursor to the contemporary notion

that

any publicity is good publicity

of course the exact details and the

methods of expression may differ

but the parallels are plain to see

and so i ask you my fellow denizens of

this

stock by reality or the concerns

surrounding

our usage of technology really that new

perhaps we have been too disoriented by

the wonders of the past decades to

realize that

we are simply witnessing the natural

progression of the human species

and yet if this is to be believed

and we are to quell our misgivings with

today’s technology

by attributing them to growing pains

then i ask you why has the right of

young people

experiencing symptoms consistent with

depression increased

nearly 52 percent in the past decade

according to the american psychological

association

the right of youngsters experiencing

pseudo suicidal thoughts

increased 47 in the same time span

according to the same organization the

center for disease control and

prevention found that

between 2007 and 2018 the rate of

adolescents aged 10 to 24

experiencing suicide increased almost

60 percent if social media has empowered

us

bringing us together through

instantaneous communication then

why are young people more lonely than

ever about 40

of high schoolers feel lonely based on

the research of san diego state

the list goes on these statistics are

all taken from the same demographics

that have experienced

the largest spike in social media usage

in the past decade

and while wells may have foreshadowed

the difficulties that awaited us

he could not have predicted just how

dire a crisis

could rapidly escalate clearly we have

changed

dramatically in the past decade alone

and from what we’re seeing

it isn’t for the better

as the conversation surrounding social

media and our frailties continues to

evolve

we begin to see that it is difficult to

find a single reach cause

from misinformation to beauty standards

the internet poses its fair share of

issues

however there is one constant amongst

all of the research

our relationships and indeed our

personalities

do not feel authentic

and this is a statistical reality that

for many of us reflects the anecdotal

one

how many of us have seen performative

activism abound online

demonstrating a superficial commitment

to social change

how many of us have perceived the

pressure to emulate the artificial

lifestyles we see portrayed online

how many of us have seen individuals

whom we

know lose themselves in echo chambers

online where their world views

however distorted are reinforced

and the worst part about it all there is

no

easy way out early on into the pandemic

i have resolved to unplug

by all accounts based on our research

that is the

right thing to do within

three days i found myself reinstalling

all of my apps even if we

somehow can overcome these passive

addictions

it is undeniable that we are headed into

an increasingly technologically

dependent time

this means that we must change with the

times or be changed by the times and

from what it seems

the latter is not working in our favor

but as i said this is an issue that

encompasses

so many others all stemming from a lack

of genuineness

and so we find ourselves at the ultimate

question

how do we humanize ourselves and correct

this discrepancy

between online and the real world

the answer doesn’t lie with me but

with people like the dedicated staff and

students at my high school

who have worked tirelessly over the past

year

to migrate under the virtual platform or

the artists

who have taken to social media to share

messages of hope

and inspiration in trying times or even

the healthcare workers who have adopted

digital communications

as one of their essential tools for

serving their patients

these are all people who have worked to

foster

an enduring sense of community even as

we have collectively grown further apart

and more divided of course it would have

been

all too easy for these same people to

allow the vast wealth of resources to

sweep them into a sedentary lifestyle

if i may use a teleological diversion to

neuroscience

our bodies from the sensory receptors in

our skin

to the rods and tones in our retina are

all stimulated by

contrast and repeated change the neural

mechanisms by which we interface with

the world

stagnate into silence if the stimulus

remains unchanged

indeed we can be immersed in a given

stimulus but in the absence of

movement a gradient or ongoing change

our senses are dulled it takes

a willful effort to tread water and even

more so

to swim and feeling the current of the

water beneath us

is integral to being able to propel

ourselves

forward if we do not make that effort

we may share the fate of that infamous

frog

in the notorious high school experiment

boiled alive in our own static

sensory overload to avoid this

we must look to those around us coupling

a

social need with the application of our

intellect

it is the disconnect between the two

that has precipitated this era of

social media brain candy

our words and images must ultimately be

combined with the deeds of goodness

and in doing so we impart the

authenticity

of a handshake into our virtual

interactions

this allows us to remain anchored during

our excursions into technology with a

sense

of gratification one that supersedes

the endorphin rush we have become

accustomed to while

tallying our lives

thank you