Social same-same

There’s no doubt that online media is having a social impact internationally. There’s so much happening in terms of new ways of interacting and congregating, learning, loving, politicking, informing and discovering.

In some ways, all the developments are great; and change is happening at breakneck pace both in terms of popular uptake and technological innovation. People can enhance personal and professional relationships online; ideas, information and culture can be more easily shared; brands can be more attentive to the nuances of their target audience; you can find out your friends’ opinions first on products and services you’re interested in. It’s this last development that interests – and to some extent concerns me – increasingly the information we’re presented with online will be guided by our friends’ opinions. It’s fascinating, watching this intelligent internet form, but will it be smart for society in the long run? How far will it go?

I think it’s quite likely that we’re in the process of developing a culture of popular consensus, whereby we’ll become very heavily influenced by what our online connections think, who are in turn guided by what their connections think. Will an abundance of this limit us in terms of discovery, creativity and exposure to new ideas and points of view? I would hate to miss out on finding something new – say a new piece of music or literature -because it was overshadowed, or worse, excluded because my connections didn’t rate it. I’d like to retain the freedom to form my own opinions about things I encounter, through my own path of discovery and sure, aided by my friends’ opinions but as with life, only in a minor, aside sort of way.

In writing this, I keep on hearing my mum’s voice saying “So, if Sam jumped off a cliff, does that mean you have to do the same?” Collectively, it could be a likely outcome. If Sam goes and jumps off a cliff, will we be so blindsided and overwhelmed by popular opinion and influence that we wouldn’t take independent action, led by independent thought?

I’m sounding like a massive luddite, so I may as well continue on the roll…

The other thing that concerns me about “all these great new online ways of communicating” is that I believe we’re seeing the loss of the diversity of language. As it stands, English is the business language in many non-English speaking countries and within that, American English is finding its way in, through popular spellcheck and so forth. I live in the UAE and it’s been a real struggle to learn Arabic because I find it hard to practice with people – everyone speaks English.

A couple of months ago, I was in Beirut with my friend Maria. Maria speaks beautiful Arabic. We went into this awesome vintage clothing store in Ashrafieh and the Lebanese lady in the store wouldn’t speak Arabic with her, because she was entirely weirded out by this gorgeous red-headed English rose speaking fluent Arabic. It was funny at the time but still strange nevertheless. I wonder how tricky it will be for kids growing up around the world to learn their mother tongue when it’s both easier and mandatory for them to speak English.

Ultimately, I think we need to probe a few outcomes of the brave new world, like what’s going to happen to discovery, creativity, opinion and culture when we’re all being exposed to the same things?

Advertisement