With the advent of instant communication, it's easy to advertise what you're doing, where you are, and who you're with. Technology is continuously changing to satisfy our urge to flaunt our personal lives and many Facebook or Twitter posts seem to be without intent or purpose beyond in-the-moment satisfaction. I'm guilty of it. My friends are guilty of it. But at what cost?
As I've gotten older, technology and social media have evolved to capture every moment, every feeling, every encounter. Nothing is personal or private; our world is getting smaller but it's naive not to consider whether these developments are actually driving us apart. Since joining Facebook in 2004, the product has changed from being a place to connect with friends both new and old to a haven of our best foot forward. As much as I'd like to consider myself a happy, confident and able person, I've found that it's nearly impossible not to compare my life with others. I've been very fortunate in many facets of my life but I'll gladly admit that the constant infiltration of "perfection" on my Newsfeed has, without a doubt, taken a toll on my romantic relationships and, perhaps more importantly, my own self worth and values. I want what others have even if it's not in my best interest or if the timing is off.
Technology and social media beg us to walk the fine line of staying connected or feeling devalued in our own reality. Instead of focusing on our own journey, our own path, we see the paths of others and it becomes a life of the have and the have nots. The simple solution is to power down, sign off, and generally disconnect from the world, but with that comes the risk of losing relationships. Of course, old school options of communications exist, but quick, instant connections reign supreme. I'm still trying to strike the balance between maintaining relationships in an online world while being comfortable in my own skin.
But, I digress. This is a food blog and the intent of the post is to reflect on our obsession with food photography. I don't believe that food photography is a new development; we've documented food for centuries in artwork, as a means of peace, and as a way of separating the have and the have nots. However, the major difference between past and present day food is the change in medium and the intent in which it's documented. Just like any other post showing happiness or perfection, it's all in the message and I believe it's crucial for us to actively consider what we're posting before it goes live, such as what is the intent of my message? Why am I posting this? Is it to spread happiness to others or to merely show off the happiness I've found? I'd like to believe that with strong, more identifiable and obvious intent, comes meaning and thus a more satisfactory life, whether it's with food or anything else.
I'll leave you with a fantastic quote from Stephen Furtick:
The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else's highlight reel.
