I was done with it after the recurring privacy violations (heehee -- ooops! Sorry, we're sharing your preference info so you can shill for advertisers...heehee -- OOPS! We're releasing your personal contact info -- like your phone and address). Being contacted by so many drama-loving parasitic assholes from my teen years and the racist skin whitening app they supported that was aimed at dark-skinned Asian Indians were also major issues for me, as well. [And anyone who thinks that skin whitening among people of color is on the same innocuous par as tanning is for whites like Snooki and her fist-pumping Jersey spectacle, it's seriously time for you to learn about the brutal impact that colonialism and imperialism has had on those of us from brown, red and darker-skinned persuasions...what did my hapokni (grandma) used to say??? If it's yellow or white, it's beautiful and right...if it's red, black or brown -- put it down]
I can't speak for everyone out in the blogsphere, but creating this blog is definitely about expression, art, politics, social issues, music, sharing a point of view and healing, more so than creating a cult of followers and attacking people in my personal life. I post once for the day (or maybe twice, sometimes) and then I go about the business of the rest of my day. I don't constantly check back-and-forth all day, glued to the computer -- if visitors out there like it, fine...but even if they don't get it, that's okay, too. I've mentioned this to some of my friends, but I really do feel like I'm sending messages in bottles and setting them out into the sea of the internet. It's been a very troubling double-edge to watch the rise of social networks over these years -- while it's been absolutely awesome to connect with like minds in faraway places like New Zealand, France, Africa, Jamaica and The Netherlands, there's definitely a disconnect that is happening with people's abilities to directly communicate with each other. It's a bit insulting when you make the time to talk with a friend and all you get is their back facing you and a distracted voice while they feverishly check the walls and status updates of their online friends. Even excessive texting is too much. I understand it when you're in situations where you can't speak verbally, but how hard is it to pick up a phone to communicate directly? Or set time aside to have coffee for an hour or so?? Direct communication is becoming a dying art. This kind of goes back to a recent post I wrote about remembering to "taking a break" from all the gadgets and the internet universe. Doesn't mean you have to throw everything out the window and go back to a tin can with a piece of string. Just be mindful of moderation....dare to pause and go smell the roses in a park. Dare to make time to catch up with a friend, face-to-face. Hand-write a letter or card to a loved one. Take the time to connect (and reconnect). A sincere loving hug and a smile from a friend is worth more than every Apple gadget and smartphone known to man.
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