MAY 21 — We live in an anti-social world. We don’t interact with each other. We don’t go out and be part of our environment.
Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, blogs and even mobile devices like iPhones and PDAs — these are all supposedly disconnecting people from the real world.
These are what so many critics are saying about the negative influence of New Media on today’s society. However, I would like to differ.
I believe that these New Media elements are actually doing a lot in encouraging people to be more connected with their environment.
My father carries around his digital compact camera everywhere in a pouch on his waist. He randomly whips his toy out and starts snapping away.
To be posted on his Facebook page later, he says. And he is also always complaining that he never has enough memory space for his pictures.
My brothers and I always make fun of him and we laugh at his expense. But somehow, I think that this is exactly the positive culture that is being formed.
When somebody blogs or posts pictures and videos online, it shows that they are more aware of their surroundings and feel passionate enough that they want to share.
Something as mundane as waiting for a taxi can be an opportunity to notice things never seen before. Even a normal walk along a street could be an inspiring journey.
This causes a person to reflect on his observation and also form a desire to propagate it. He might just want to inform others, or maybe he is expecting some response.
And from there, it builds. Others would respond and in as many ways as technology allows. They might share the same thoughts and opinions, or they might disagree.
Because of this, a whole new culture of observation, reflection and discussion is created. People become more willing to express their thoughts and ideas.
Through New Media and other devices, people in society start developing a heightened sense of awareness when it comes to their surroundings.
Not only does it open people’s senses, it also develops their intellect. It connects them to their environment in a way no one, as individuals, has ever thought of.
A culture like this encourages people to see things and listen to the sounds around them that are obscure. Basically, people pay more attention to the details of life.
Instead of creating a screen in front of people’s faces that separates them from the real world, the screen actually gives them more context of the real world they are living in.
So, my brothers and I may laugh at how goofy my father is with his camera and his obsession of uploading photos, but he may just be the missing link in our evolution.
* The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.
