{"id":29543,"date":"2016-06-15T05:00:34","date_gmt":"2016-06-15T09:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/lovejoyfeminism\/?p=29543"},"modified":"2016-06-14T14:36:11","modified_gmt":"2016-06-14T18:36:11","slug":"these-social-media-posts-offer-an-important-reminder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/lovejoyfeminism\/2016\/06\/these-social-media-posts-offer-an-important-reminder.html","title":{"rendered":"These Social Media Posts Offer an Important Reminder"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

I recently came upon\u00a0a Facebook post<\/a> I found fascinating. It was by a man named Steve Cobby, and started with this image:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This image was accompanied by the following\u00a0text:<\/p>\n

\u201cLate last year this photograph of children looking at their smartphones by Rembrandt\u2019s \u2018The Night Watch\u2019 in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam started doing the rounds on the web. It quickly became viral. It was often accompanied by outraged, dispirited comments such as \u201ca perfect metaphor for our age\u201d, \u201cthe end of civilisation\u201d or \u201ca sad picture of our society\u201d.<\/p>\n

Only they weren\u2019t. It turns out that the Rijksmuseum has an app that, among other things, contains guided tours and further information about the works on display. As part of their visit to the museum, the children, who minutes earlier had admired the art and listened attentively to explanations by expert adults, had been instructed to complete an assignment by their school teachers, using, among other things, the museum\u2019s excellent smartphone app.<\/span><\/p>\n

I would like to think that all those who liked, posted, shared and tweeted the picture of children on smartphones by Rembrandt\u2019s masterpiece in the erroneous belief that it illustrated everything that is wrong with society feel a tiny bit silly and a little more humble as a consequence. But it won\u2019t happen.
\nThe tragic thing is that this \u2014 the truth \u2014 will never go viral. So, I wonder, what is more likely to bring about the death of civilisation, children using smartphones to learn about art or the wilful ignorance of adults who are too quick to make assumptions?\u201d<\/p>\n

Technology and the death of civilisation
\nhttp:\/\/buff.ly\/1VxAtfF<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Cobby\u2019s point, in the midst\u00a0of a world in which\u00a0Millennials and other young people are constantly\u00a0derided for their technology use and their supposed selfishness, is an important one. All is not always as it seems, and your assumptions about people often tell more\u00a0about you than they do about reality. Smartphones, which are often seen as a sign of self-centered disconnection from the world, frequently\u00a0serve as a source of education, connection, and, ultimately, empowerment.<\/p>\n

I had this same thought, later, when reading a passionate social media rant<\/a>\u00a0hitting on similar themes, this one posted by a woman with agoraphobia. Have a look:<\/p>\n

\"Screen<\/p>\n

Here is the full text of her\u00a0post:<\/p>\n

Dear driver who yelled at me for taking a selfie on the sidewalk outside Trader Joe\u2019s, I know what you thought you were seeing, just a self-absorbed, shallow millennial, documenting a mundane task for no reason. \u2018Stupid kid,\u2019 you might have thought, \u2018not every little thing has to be documented. Put your phone away and get on with your life.\u2019 But here\u2019s the thing. I also know what you were unable to see: I am agoraphobic.<\/p>\n

For the past 3+ years, I haven\u2019t gone into public by myself. I haven\u2019t left the front door of my home without a friend or family member (except, on brave days, to get the mail). Even when going in public with loved ones, I become wracked with anxiety, crippled by panic attacks where I could barely breathe or talk. My husband has had to practically carry me out of movie theaters becasue I started panicking so hard. We\u2019ve lost who knows how much money on non-refundable tickets. Before we got married, we couldn\u2019t go on dates because it was too hard for me to leave the house. I have endured\u00a03+ years of my body and mind revolting against my desire to be independent.<\/p>\n

This morning, alone in my apartment, I experienced a flash of strange courage.\u00a0For once, I didn\u2019t wait around to see if it would stay. I didn\u2019t worry that the\u00a0courage would abandon me halfway through my trip. I just seized it. I grabbed a beanie and my messenger bag and walked out the door. I crossed two streets, by myself, while cars rushed by, and I didn\u2019t panic. I smiled up at the blue sky and sun, for the first time in year enjoying it on my own. I felt whole.\u00a0I\u00a0felt powerful. I felt free.<\/p>\n

You and I were the sole witnesses of a moment 3+ years in the making. All I wanted was one photo \u2014 not even from a flattering angle, not even well-composed. Just one photo, to prove I did it, to look at when I\u2019m low again, that it\u2019s possible to defeat the demons and win. To show myself that it can be done again. To send to my husband so he can be proud of me too.<\/p>\n

When you saw me, yes, I was a woman standing outside a Trader Joe\u2019s, acting like my shopping trip was important enough to document. Because it was.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m sorry that you\u2019ll never know.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m sorry you see my generation documenting our lives as something to be scorned.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m sorry you don\u2019t hear the stories we have to tell.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m sorry that I can\u2019t tell you mine.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Just as smartphones can be used for education and connection, those with various forms of mental illness or\u00a0anxiety often use selfies as a form of empowerment. They\u2019re a form of encouragement, a way of pushing back against the difficulties they face and saying \u201cI can<\/em> do it.\u201d And that is beautiful.<\/p>\n

These posts, and others like them, offer an important reminder. All is not always as it seems, and your\u00a0assumptions are sometimes flat-wrong. This is actually something I try to think about when someone I don\u2019t know\u00a0cuts me off or engages in behavior that exasperates or confuses me in a public place. I don\u2019t know what is going on in their lives, they don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on in my life, and that\u2019s okay.<\/p>\n

Judging people for otherwise harmless behavior never made anything better.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

These posts, and others like them, offer an important reminder. All is not always as it seems, and your assumptions are sometimes flat-wrong. This is actually something I try to think about when someone I don’t know cuts me off or engages in behavior that exasperates or confuses me in a public place. I don’t know what is going on in their lives, they don’t know what’s going on in my life, and that’s okay.<\/p>\n

Click through to read more!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":845,"featured_media":29549,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nThese Social Media Posts Offer an Important Reminder<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"These posts, and others like them, offer an important reminder. All is not always as it seems, and your assumptions are sometimes flat-wrong. This is actually something I try to think about when someone I don't know cuts me off or engages in behavior that exasperates or confuses me in a public place. I don't know what is going on in their lives, they don't know what's going on in my life, and that's okay. 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