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