The All-seeing Public Eye

Hello Everyone, well, it's been quite the time lately, hasn't it ? I hope you're all managing to stay safe and well, as it seems the Coronavirus has no intention of leaving any of us in peace, for the time being. So what has prompted me to break out the laptop today ? Well, it is kind of COVID-related but not entirely, because like I said in my previous post, social media is awash with uploaded videos of people being every possible emotion. Some loudly arguing about the wearing or non-wearing of masks, a fair few of drivers exhibiting frankly frightening bouts of 'road rage', there have been episodes of ordinary people pointing guns at others for reasons that are never entirely clear and so the list goes on...but even though all of these are prompted by different circumstances, everyone gets to see the events unfold. I know it's easy to forget, but it wasn't so long ago, it would have been impossible to see a woman screeching in an American supermarket, complaining about hand sanitiser- at the exact time it was happening- while sitting on a sofa in London or Melbourne or in fact anywhere else on the planet with Wifi. If you think about it, when you go outside, there really are very few places where someone couldn't be filming you, which is really quite a troubling thought. This kind of scrutiny was reserved for the heady world of celebrity but not any more - now you're just as likely to be headline news if you topple into a lake or any item of clothing randomly hits the floor and leaves you exposed ! 

While on the subject of celebrity, the current pandemic seems to have rocked that usually-rarified world to its core. Some well known people appear to have just gone about their lives, perhaps enjoying the fact they don't have to be anything more than a wife, mother, partner etc. When your appearance is routinely judged on a daily basis, it must be quite a relief not to have to care any more - you can set aside the towering heels and ridiculously-tight dresses and just be comfortable. However, others do seem to be struggling with the lack of adoration and so have taken to uploading films of themselves doing all manner of apparently 'unexpected' things, in the hope of gaining much needed attention. Now, I am completely supportive of anyone trying out a new hobby, but whether the world really needs to see you bake a cake, ride a bike or tunelessly sing a classic song in the bath, is a bit debatable. I can only imagine it must be difficult when you're accustomed to be almost worshipped, to suddenly find yourself practically ignored and I do mean that with total sincerity. After all, if you judge your worth by how many people hit a 'like' button, it must genuinely rock your self-confidence when you feel you're somehow 'losing' your following. I can only hope those who are struggling with the 'silence', rediscover their real value as a human being, is so much more than fan's reactions to a bikini picture !

Of course, with so much of the population not being fully occupied, when a real celebrity scandal hits, probably more people are paying attention than would be under normal circumstances. I can't even begin to imagine how awful it must be to have the most personal parts of your life, relentlessly splattered across the press, revealing ever more gruesome details. Speaking for myself, the ongoing court case between Johnny Depp and his former wife, Amber Heard, is the perfect example of this kind of microscopic scrutiny. As every day passes, the world at large has a ringside seat, as their clearly turbulent relationship is judged, exposed and examined - with an almost callous disregard for the fact, despite their wealth and fame, they are just two people with apparent personal problems who had an extremely contentious divorce. 

At the same time, there is the very worrying situation developing with the rapper Kanye West, who has previously admitted to having been diagnosed with a personality disorder. After his well-publicised, emotionally-charged speech, yet again, the world has watched and come to all manner of conclusions about not only him but the rest of his family. Now, I am no fan of him or his music, but I have to admit to feeling very uncomfortable, reading all the comments, alleged 'jokes' at his expense and the level of his obvious distress. 

Now, I know there will be those who say, 'well, if you put yourself in the public eye, you have to expect criticism.' But my point is, we are ALL in the public eye now ! It could be any one of us who suffer some kind of mental breakdown, but would we want the world watching ? If a member of our family had reached the point of sobbing uncontrollably, would we want them filmed, that film uploaded, so everyone else- complete strangers- can either make cruel jibes or offer their usually completely unqualified opinion ? I think we can all agree, we would answer a resounding 'no.'

I'm just starting to wonder if this apparent obsession with filming and sharing every minute detail of your life is especially healthy. After all, we all know there are so many armchair critics out there, fingers poised over a keyboard, just waiting for the opportunity to tear someone down and not just the famous either. It seems everyone is 'fair game' now, so if you do or say anything which could be seen as 'entertaining', there's the permanent risk it will be you gracing YouTube - as I said in the title, the public eye is now all-seeing.

I think we can all agree, the internet is an amazing thing, it allows us to see places and people we might have never known existed, we are familiar with whole ways of life because we can virtually visit almost every corner of the planet. At its best, it gives us the opportunity to gain a level of understanding about the world which has never been accessible before, and that is unquestionably, a wonderful thing. But it has a darker side too, when used in the ways I've described, it has the capacity to turn us all into some weird kind of freak show - 'Step right up and see a woman lose her mind! Look to your left and you'll see a man hurl abuse at a shop worker ! And happening now, a young woman so drunk, she passes out on the street in a pool of her own vomit!'

But we all have the choice not to be in the audience, to keep scrolling while looking through social media rather than grab a seat and eagerly watch the downfalls of others - be it a minor moment or a major  incident. As perhaps, now that we all live with this all seeing public eye - if we laugh at someone today, the world could be cruelly cackling at us tomorrow. I'm not saying there isn't a world of entertainment to be enjoyed, but I do strongly feel, we need to be mindful, that maybe there are moments in all our lives which should remain out of the range of the public gaze. 

So, much as I know it's tempting to reach for the cameraphone  when confronted with some unusual circumstance, I really think we need to pause for a moment to ask ourselves, 'if that was me, would I want it all over the internet?' If the answer is 'yes' than film away and share as much as you can. But if there is even the slightest doubt in your mind, then put the phone down and offer to help instead because as I said before, today it's someone else but tomorrow, it could be you....anyway, stay safe and until next time....

Take care out there xxx