How many weddings have we attended where the majority of attendants flash a smartphone to capture the bride’s entrance? Many a professional photographer have complained about the obstruction these “paparazzi” have created and how they ruin the photo for the couple.
Often, in our bid to be updated in our social media accounts, we live our lives behind the smartphone camera. Who’s guilty of snapping a photo before taking a bite or a sip of our favourite caffeine fix? Or the question is, who’s not? A media report showed the drop in ratings of some restaurants. According to that study, diners complain of long turn around time for customers.
Looking further, they discovered that diners nowadays take longer to dine because of that habit of photographing their meals. By the time they finish taking shots, the food has already turned cold. Some had to return the food for re-heating, while others just gave the place a mark down. All these compound the waiting time for the succeeding customers, this happens when this set of dinners doesn’t take the time to filter their shots, add all sorts of emoji’s or shoot an #ATM video.
In trying to capture that one episode, we fail to live in the moment to savour the experience. In sharing a snap or a video, we think our worlds become bigger because we let a lot of people in on our experience of sipping a cuppa, climbing the peak of a mountain, or watching dolphins run and jump in the wild. We share that moment with our thousands of social media contacts, sometimes to the neglect of people we are with at the present, here and now.
The irony of it all is that social media, while gives us the feeling of belongingness, also gives us a feeling of isolation. Oftentimes, we see a table with a family where each one is hooked to a device, either playing a game, taking or uploading a photo, or chatting with someone in a faraway land. A Facebook meme summarises this scenario perfectly, it keeps you in touch with people far but makes you feel estranged with people just beside you.
In a recent concert held in Manila, Bruno Mars must have been overwhelmed by the number of phones focused on him. He remarked that he has never seen so many smartphones in his life! He further gushed, how could concertgoers dance and enjoy with the phone on one hand. And they heeded him and sang and danced with him. But only for a short while. When Bruno’s signature songs came up, the phones started flashing. Some fans had to pay PhP23,000 just to watch Bruno behind the cameras. Where’s the fun in that?
Mother’s Day is upcoming and for sure, we all have plans how to make it special. We appreciate Instagram posts of #mothersdayfamilydayout, or #mumootd, but don’t sweat it if you don’t get that perfect shot to show the world. On this day designed for Mums, maybe she’d like a quiet day with you, maybe party with you (and not the rest of your social media world), a sincere hug, or a long conversation filled with laughter and walking down memory lane. Your social media followers can wait; they don’t need to sneak into your life every second. For the most special woman in your life, your Mum, Mum of your babies or furbabies, be present for them without having the world’s approval with likes, loves and emoji’s.
— First published in the Philippine Times, May 2018 edition
