Culture of easy-swallowing society -IV

- continues from part three - 
[ observation on social platforms and profiles ]

    Creating social profiles and multiple social platforms has amazing psychological doubles effect – from one side satisfies the need of the individual from social connections; from another boosts his confidence (self-image, appearance), and in the same time keep him behind the veil of “incognito” observer. His is hidden and exposed in the same time. He can view” others (images, activities), without to be seen himself, he can have easy communication with others, without the pressure of deeper mind or analysis. This is the main pattern of visual amplification. What becomes more significant than “who”, “how” and why, which creates gap in individual character. But as all these described above satisfactions are fake and not real, so the individual will come back in his spiritual development. He will become motor of easy motion of surface changing pieces of puzzle – in fake reality.

IV. Self replaced by Social self

     As I spoke about so many damages on the consciousness and sub consciousness of human in easy-swallowing culture, I have to mention here the social relations. Due to lack of time and the speed factor, most people create also multiple relations, depending on their spheres of interest. This is a very good, positive point in such a speed time society. But is it truth? The connections we create using the social media platforms are also fake. Moreover even the existing friendships, relations and relationships are threaten to submerge in one chaotic stream, and disappear. Social medias have the first aim (on the surface) to bring people together. In fact, what happens is opposite –they brake connections of humans and create well manipulated fake communications. Why is that so? When I create a post and share it with my friends, I already don’t know who will be able to view or react on this post. This reactions of my post have strong affect, even in sub conscious level – on mind of individual. He start to notice by repeating one and the same rule, who of his friends” or people with whom he shares – react on some of his posts, and what is the reaction. Any kind of reaction is more preferred than lack of reaction. That means “I`m left alone, unnoticed” and why do I have these “friends”? The actual question that I need to ask myself is – are the so created social connections on my social platform really “friends”? Because of lack of time, I cant be able to ask further questions to what extend I can rely on such friends and what is meaning of “friendship”? These are very old thoughts, left in history before mobile technologies. Now I just see, observe, have visual impression from reactions of others and make conclusions. If I feel respectful for myself, of course I have to notice – how many people and how often see and react on my posts. Because these people are my “close friends” (labeled) or any other group and I found them valuable enough to share my post (image, idea, feeling, place). So I`ll instinctively remove from this category anyone, who never reacts on any post of me. That means this person doesn’t exist for me, and I for him. This is obvious. In the same time, even if he sees my sharing, but doesn’t show reaction (which means he is hiding), that makes his image not appreciated in my eyes, surely as I`m not in position to know what are his thoughts” about my image. My image and post now is almost equal identified with my own Self. (as its posted by Self). That’s how this hidden observer is not good for me, but …in the same time I allow him to see my image, or allow him access. Another decision is to restrict him from my posts, or remove him from my “friends” list. But why I would react in the first way, even knowing that this person is not a friend? The answer hides in understanding about “friend” category in social media stream.

      In reality, there is no “friends” - they are transformed in virtual connections – collections. I have collection of names and profiles, linked with my profile and that’s all. No real sharing or friendship at all can rely or develop just from virtual platforms, without anything else. Here arises the question – why I have these collections? What is meaning (profit) of them? As in the time-space speed of Internet, there is not much inner value, so the profit is better word. The older generations, that are not familiar or too distant from mobile devices, social media and internet connections, are prone to speak or meet. In such way, meeting and gatherings were platforms of exchange of information –for others, gossips and sharing ideas, feelings. In this era the accent was not on visual but on virtual hearing, listening, voice, speech. This was era of long speeches, words, texts, books, things said indirectly, in symbolic way. Ear of hearing –speech-sharing. Opposite of that, now is era of visual games exchange - sharing images, places and moods in simple and shortest way is the best communication. Why do I need words, if I see photo of my friend for ex. standing on the beach with cocktail in hand and smiling? All is clear –he achieved happiness, he is well. Why do I need words if I see my friend with his baby on lap at home, smiling from ear to ear? Is it not clear, he is very happy. That’s how we create and sink in the culture of “fake happiness”, by exposing fake images of this happiness. but is that true? How much do we know about actors from a movie behind the scene and in daily life? Think well. Exactly the same effect happens with the people in social media sites. They are actors, they love to expose and show off themselves (or equally to hide themselves from scene sometimes) in best possible way. No one will put a photo for himself in period of deep depression, sorrow and sadness (specially if he does not gain any attention from others in such way). Visual attention and exposure of private images sometimes, become the biggest trap, failure of the system and fake elements from the culture. We are all involved in theatre of moving, changing pictures, kaleidoscope of faces, bodies, ideas, feelings…without any significant meaning. That’s how in this trap fall even spiritually advanced people – assuming they use the social media to create spiritual insights and shares. Even so, I want to state here clearly

     * Without a strict and permanent control on your own time spend inside the social platform (regardless Facebook, Twitter or other), you will slowly lose your spiritual development and feel lack of time, and lack of real life-achievements. Control means to know when and how long you use the social site, to have restricted audience, well chosen social “collection” of names, to not put any feelings in any of the connections, regardless of their emotions, and know the value of personal time. In this way, your time will be devoted to essential things, I think that in most cases an hour is quite enough.

   To conclude – people possessing fake faces, acquire a fake multiple sided virtual life, that replaces their real values and experiences, to the limited space-time of the social platform. They start to disappear as individuals from the material surroundings, and appear in the same time in a their safe virtual social rooms. This appearance can be a well made game, fake identity, taking traits the person does not possess, but desire. That’s how this looks like virtual theater of mind, where many pieces of individual puzzles are spread around many platforms. They form a chaotic space, with many references, and sadly without depth and meaning. In this process people merge with their created Masks, faces. 

[ nina Lea-nura * ]

J -1- 

Culture of easy swallowing society -III

- third part -

... continues from III. Amplification of visual perception

     This is the shortly and very simple explanation of how visual amplification works for the culture of “easy-swallowing”. Have in mind, I do not claim with that, there is no process of thinking or mindful reactions. I claim, that majority of people (mass consciousness) living in the patterns of Speed, Accumulation, visual connections, have this model as deep root for their thinking. What does it mean? What happens after?

Such model is very common to appear with “short term” memory and lower mind. That means – when we see an object (flower f.e.) we don’t need anymore to observe it further. So we do not stay with this object long, and continue to the next object of our attention. The same happens multiple times and every time. In this way our mind cant be activated to higher levels, but stays with lower connections to see-understand the existence of the objects, but not its value, meaning, use. This model happens due to most reasons I already pointed above – specially because of lack of time, and lack of need for tranquility, through which to be achieved deeper meaning. Here we stumble on a hole, a gap of depth and meaning. We cover this gap (as a trap) with accumulation of more and more “visual” traps, or pictures. That’s how we move on. The easy-swallowing culture cant stay longer on one object or observe it well. The more sad is –it doesn’t want to search for depth or meaning. The visual amplification is enough for the food of “lower mind” and stays with affection from eyes.

In this respect the importance of so called “picture”, “photos” and visual images on social media is big. The visual affect of pictures, videos and life reportages is what gives the real power of television (and make it also a propaganda, eyes illusion),  the words, description itself, is behind on the back side. Not opposite. The same happens with the social media and social applications. Think about Facebook, Twitter, google. There is a real predominance of the Visual (pictures, photos) and “text” words, descriptions, meanings are left just on the back as a “filling”. As the accent is put strongly on images (pictures) and visual appearance, people rarely make a “post” and share anything from surroundings without a picture. Even more – if you want to describe an idea, you use picture, above which there are stamped words of wisdom for example. A simple picture can do more than all “simple” words. Why is that so?

      The answer is quite simple, due to 1. attraction of attention, 2. lack of time for depth (analysis). In a virtual reality, as internet, pictures have the biggest power to affect senses and lower mind. These pictures are exact example of best part of easy-swallowing culture. They are just exactly what we called “accumulation” of objects, and react in the same way. The most important is not what is their deeper meaning”, but what is their surface. quantity before quality. What is important? Not what is shown – but the way it is shown to be more affective, more attractive, more bright. High colors, amazing techniques, photo –collages, and effects. This is the culture of best visual color and visual effects. They are in direct contact with the eyes of perceiver. That’s how for some generation (social groups) in lower spiritual levels –the most significant becomes “appearance”. How I see myself with eyes of “others” become equal to how I put myself as an “effective” smooth, bright image on the social media group. This will be my proud, and the image (photo of mobile) will create my importance. That’s how the internet culture is born, connecting all elements of the high speed society in one. One that leads to dissolving my Self – to the image of my “created Social Self”. This is a fake administration and fake reality. Importance of myself is locked in the person “social” profile, which is visual document of the identity and self. In this easy-swallowing circles, the profile (picture) and any additional photo of profile, as well as wall posts, become the presentation and exposure of Self to others. The ways we choose in Facebook, who will see our posts, is also a manipulation of sub consciousness; why? Think about that – we assume in sub conscious level – that all the people we like, allow and feel valuable to share our post (thoughts) will also feel the same, and they will see and appreciate our post (thoughts, share). Which is again falling into fake reality, simply because of the time-space speed on internet. This speed doesn’t allow any longer observation on a single post (visual image), but makes the brain “lazy” by constant stream of visual images and words. This is like a bombarding with visual information, which cant be processed by the brain cells, not even collected or linked, or stored carefully by the brain. This is so because of the speed, as the mind cant stay longer in the same object. Attention is floating and moving in seconds and minutes from one visual image, from one picture to another, information is merging in a vast ocean, where the mind don’t need any further processing. Moreover there is lack of meaning and depth on any visual image, lack of further explanation. You can perceive one very good post of wisdom, or 2 or 3, but you cant perceive one hundred and store them in memory. In this way anything you see” with your eyes, will have effect of yo-yo, or a fast jumping ball, that wont have any left information in your mind. And here we speak about lower mind. The kaleidoscope of images, photos, sentences, short sharing, friends sharing of places and memorable views, have actually the opposite effect – they increase the lag of mind laziness, brain becomes out of motion, and out of need to create. If this “seeing” without analysis continues for long time (more than 1 hour), it may lead to tiredness, lack of concentration, anxiety, feeling of depression, dull mind.

    In culture of easy swallowing, the most important is not how I see myself, what I value in myself…but it becomes “how others see me through my social mainstream appearance and image”, what is my image in society or in friend circles. All has value in connection of others. That becomes a phenomena of amplification of visual image, removing all other mental values from individual. That leads to dull emotions, misunderstanding of others and Self. It leads to brake up in relations with yourself and others on many levels, to emotional imbalance and emphasize on “physical appearance”. Which also is linked to creating a fake reality and even more –a fake Self. There is no connection between this socially approved smooth image of Self, and my real Spiritual self. There is a gap – of time-space speed. The valuable is not the information given (if I make a simple post in social media, without to include image/ photo), but the attractive way in which it is presented (the amplification of picture). 

[ nina Lea-nura * ]

J -1-