The Invisible Competition
It is, 388 B.C.E. Adonis, a blacksmith was on his way to his forge. On the way, he saw an old, short, and stocky, with a snub nose and bulging eyes man sitting under an oak tree, and preaching people about life. He knew that man. His name was Socrates. Adonis’s friend, Basil was also there in the gathering. Adonis decided to attend the gathering for a few minutes (just out of curiosity), and after asking Basil, he came to know that the meeting was almost about to end. Socrates ended the meeting by saying,
“Agapitoí polítes, eínai to tapeinó mou aítima na gnorízete ton pragmatikó sas eaftó. [Dear citizens, it is my humble request that you know your real self.]”
Adonis scoffed off the idea.
“Écho mia oraía zoí. Mia statherí oikogéneia. Éna sevastó átomo stin koinonía. Giatí na xéro ton eaftó mou? [I have a fine life. A stable family. I’m a respected person in the society. Why should I know myself?]”, said to himself. “Kai, akómi kai prépei na to káno, argótera. [And, even if I have to, I’ll do it later.]”, added Adonis.
Fast forward, 2400 years. This is 2020 C.E. We all have become like Adonis. If someone tries to preach us about, knowing our likes and dislikes, our real wants and desires; we scoff off the idea directly or postpone it. However, Adonis was privileged. We are not.
“How?”, you may ask.
Well, Adonis did not have Facebook or Instagram or any such platforms. We do. Our likes, dislikes, wants, desires; everything is there on the internet. In Adonis’s time, at max, two people knew about his likes and dislikes — his mother and his wife. They were people with morals and emotions — unlike a program that is targeting us, right from the time we wake to the time we sleep.
Let me ask you. How do you know that the article that you are reading is something you want to read? Maybe because you like to read such articles about the negative impacts of social media or maybe, someday you clicked on some post/video about a similar topic; and the algorithm “thought” of recommending this one to you.
Yes. Social Media is a boon. I won’t deny that fact. No one is a stranger in today’s world. But the way, the in-charged people are running these websites and exploiting the data, is ethically wrong. Social media sites are a source of entertainment. No one opens Facebook or Instagram to “learn”. They open because they are “bored”. People’s opinions and views can be and, are altered. The quintessential being: Facebook Cambridge Analytica Scam. It exposed how vulnerable people’s choices are.
In 388 B.C.E., no one was competing with Adonis’s wife and mother to know more about him. Today, maybe, Facebook knows more about you than your mother. When your mother is fast asleep at 12:01 A.M., Facebook will wish you Happy Birthday — becoming the first “being” to wish you. Facebook’s algorithm can easily predict your mental health, just by “watching” over your soldier and monitoring what is it that you are seeing. There is am “invisible” competition going on between you and Facebook. Maybe, in some cases, Facebook knows you, more than you know about yourself. That is very worrisome. Adonis need not worry about such an issue. No one was competing with him to know more about him. He was just “a” citizen. You may question, “I am no celebrity or someone famous. Why would Facebook be interested in me?” Well, you are a source of revenue for Facebook. Facebook surely cares about your likes and dislikes. YOU ARE A VALUABLE ASSET TO FACEBOOK.
Then, what is the solution? Well, you have no option but to “know your real self”. You have to be aware of your likes and dislikes. You CANNOT (like, Adonis) scoff it off. Don’t just get carried away into seeing things, that you do not want to see. This is especially important for teenagers, as a teenage mind can get easily carried away.
But, how to “know your real self”? Just like most of the things, it is easier said than done. It is hard, but NOT impossible. The point is to know yourself, better than social media sites. So that you can make rational decisions, irrespective of what they make you watch. You might say, “I do not have the time to do such things. I am too busy.” Here’s my argument. If on an average, an Indian can spend ~4 hours using a smartphone daily (that’s roughly 2 months a year), then he/she can (for sure) afford to spend 30 minutes introspecting their own lives.
I came across this idea when I was reading Sapiens, by Yuval Harari. I was quite intrigued by the concept. And later on when I saw an interview of him with Tristan Harris — ex-Google employee, turned Whistleblower — I came to know about the deeper meaning of the concept and why is it so relevant in today’s world. And since then, I always try to question my choices. So far, it has helped me enough, to write an article about it and make rational decisions, and not get carried away into things which is of no interest to me.
