If you’re a regular visitor to my blog you might have noticed that I now have an Instagram feed on the home page.
Joining Instagram is something I didn’t expect I would do. Perhaps it’s a generational thing, but I’ve always been deeply skeptical about the quality and real value of our social exchanges in this age of unprecedented connectivity and networking.
Of course, I do see the merits of social media, but I worry about the consequences of people living their lives with a perceived audience constantly in mind. The social network has ensured, it seems, that all who use it are forever on show or display. Author of The Society of Spectacle, Guy Debord, put it best when he wrote, “All that was once directly lived has become mere representation.”
To adapt an old phrase I grew up with, many of the young people I encounter and observe these days spend so much of time photographing the roses that they forget to stop and smell them.
But my niece, who’s a very savvy, intelligent and grounded young lady, turned me on to Instagram – and so far I admit, I kind of like it. Of course, a lot of what you’re presented with is just visual junk and thinly disguised advertisements, but I’ve discovered some great artists, foodies, photographers and fellow broadcasters who are doing some interesting and innovative work. Besides, it’s a really simple way to update the blog with some fresh content – thus alleviating the guilt I routinely feel for not having the time to post more articles more often.
So do feel free to follow me on Instagram, where I hope pictures will pick up where words end – and perhaps tell a story of their own.
