Aug 11, 2015

DISPLAYS OF SELF


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Many of us get so caught up in displaying ourselves online that we are willing to do just about anything to Go Viral.  It's not hard to find; just take one glance at your Facebook feed -Hey look at me! Look what I'm doing! I'm so sad/happy/excited! Pay attention to me! Crowds of people are congregating, shouting against the never-ending spill of digital noise.

When our shouting doesn't work and the noise becomes too loud, we resort to silly stunts and obscene displays of self: the drunken videos, the melodramatic posts, the shirt-off-in-the mirror photos, the pop-up ads and sleazy act-now marketing, the superfluous cursing in forums (don't even get me started on YouTube comments).  Sure, yelling loudly enough will attract scads of newcomers - we can't help but slow down and gawk at the wreckage, but we never stick around to watch the post-accident cleanup.  Similarly, someone's public indecency - his or her viral missive - may draw some initial head-turns, but when everyone leaves the scene of the accident, Mr. Viral will be left feeling empty and alone.

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Trích "Everything That Remains" - Joshua F & Ryan N  

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