We all intuitively know that much of what is in the media (Hollywood, books, social media, etc.) is not always reflective of real life, and sometimes not even close. That's fine. Fiction and fantasy is a great escape for the human soul and helps to expand our minds, our imaginations, its a nice break from the mundane aspects of everyday life, the monotony and the daily grind.
So having recapped on that, it baffles me where some people conflate the two. On a more specific topic, spanking and other BDSM fetishes...where the old adage "Life imitates art, far more than art imitates life" comes to mind. People should not confuse what they see online with reality. Websites that are focused on profit, are not the same as a real life relationship or the well being of the participants. There are so many BDSM themed websites that focus on brutality and harshness, trying to outdo their competitors, to get clicks, hits, traffic which often translates into sales and money. That is not healthy, and certainly not in a day to day relationship and it's not something that is a sound "tutorial" or that should be emulated.
And along the same lines, people that use their social media, blogs, whatever, as a means for validation. Those that think that having X amount of followers or views elevates their "standing" as a human being, are just silly. Sure, there are a very small percent of celebrities that have millions and millions of followers, but that is rare. For the more "normal" person that has a high level of followers and likes and all that, it just means bored people are...bored. Some people think that a high follower count translates into an automatic amount of $$$ for whatever they are often selling, but stats show otherwise. In most cases, they're making nothing, and are exposing private aspects of their lives and relationships, their hopes and sorrows, challenges and struggles to the world for...nothing. They view it is a form of "affection" or adulation, but the truth is, they're viewed more as zoo animals or circus freaks.
Personally I value my privacy, autonomy and peace and would never trade that for some fleeting notion of "popularity" through some stupid social media site or blog or whatever. And I would never violate the privacy and trust of anyone in my life for the same reason or purpose. I speculate that in the very, very near future, the majority of people that have exposed so much of themselves and their lives online will regret it. And there is no way to "pull" that back or scrub the Internet clean of those movies, photos and posts. It's unfortunate, but people need to find inner peace, their self esteem, validation and serenity in the real world...and not online.
I can attest to the above as...for example, this little blog, it has some readers, never had a single comment, which is fine, and I have a couple books attached to it, sold a bunch, more than I expected to, no reviews, which is also fine. I get it, people like their privacy and as many have their name attached to their Amazon/Kindle profile, don't want to leave a review based on privacy. My point is my self esteem is not tied to reviews, traffic, being "Internet popular" or popular in real life. My self esteem and sense of self is based on what I think of myself, my actions, my humanity and the good I do for other people and the planet, and not to some anonymous followers or reviews on the Internet. People need to keep things in perspective and prioritize what's truly important in life, versus seeking a sense of importance or validation based on what someone on the other side of the planet thinks.
No comments:
Post a Comment