Peep "Don't 'Like' Me" on KQED's Perspectives. By Jasmine Ty (Also fellow Bindlestiff Artist)
We no longer live in an age where we have to keep up with the Joneses. No, now with the invention of Facebook, we have the privilege of keeping up with the Garcias, the Spencers, the Changs, the Lees and the Millers. All from the comfort of your own home. We are now in the age of a digital democracy. You have the right to post pretentious status updates, list enviable schools and jobs, show off exotic vacation photos, baby videos and more. You have the right to live the good life for all to see. And because every picture, every post is meticulously selected, everyone has an obnoxiously good life.
I wonder what you do offline. I wonder what your status is overall. Chris is... Dennis is... Heather is... A news feed of what you're thinking, what you're doing every second of the day, political commentaries, pro- and anti-religious sentiments, rambling rants, mundane musings. It's like hearing everyone at full volume, thoughts formerly reserved only for yourself on broadcast for 675 "friends" to hear. Don't get me wrong. I'm grateful for what social networking does: reuniting people, helping causes, spreading awareness. But sometimes, I don't really care what you think.
I'm giving up. I cannot compete with your digital self -- carefully orchestrated posts and photos. I cannot keep up with where you are. Karen is at Golden Gate park...in Las Vegas...at the movies. I want a break from "connecting and sharing with the people in my life" as the slogan goes. I want to sit and eat good food without anyone knowing about it. I want to turn off my "share" button and stop announcing my break-ups, make-ups or telling the world "It's complicated." Who cares? I don't want to poke anyone, play Farmville or give you any more access to my digital DNA than I already have. I want to post images only to my mind, only for me to see. Above all, I want to stop referring to myself in third person, stop posting comments and start living a life beyond Facebook walls.
Do me a favor and please don't "like" this.
With a Perspective, I'm Jasmine Ty.
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