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| My friend, Leon, just before his flight back to Germany. |
One of the things we talked about recently was how humid the Philippines is. He proceeds to tell me what it's like back in Berlin where there is very little humidity. It struck me how I really don't have an idea of what that is like. Perhaps he is merely bad at describing the experience, but I think it's mostly because I've only ever known very humid climate. It's very hard to wrap my head around the idea of a "dry" climate. Even when it's hot in the PH, it's not dry. Similarly, I think of our social media climate here in the PH. It's all I've known. It is quite rare to meet people who aren't on social media, or if they are, aren't very active on social media. My friend said he had even seen videos about the Philippines in Germany talking about how social media savvy we are as a people. When I'm on social media, it feels like the whole world is on it. But rationally, that's not true. I have several friends who aren't on Facebook or Instagram. The tricky thing is that it doesn't mean I don't see them on Facebook or Instagram. They're still surrounded by people who are on social media. There's no escaping it, it seems. But then here's my German friend, whose other German friends I know also post very little on social media. None of his friends or family back there seems to be tagging him in any photos. Obviously it doesn't mean nothing's going on in his life. I actually think his life is more eventful than mine. I know this because he's sent me photos of him and his family playing in a pool or having lunch together, and he's told me of his trips around Europe. He simply doesn't post or feel the need to post. I've asked him about this and he says that social media simply isn't "a thing" there as it is here in PH.
Social media makes me feel like some conversations no longer need happen because you've already seen it online. You've been updated, so to speak. Just this morning a friend tweeted a link to something he wrote on Medium. He's getting married this weekend so he took time to flesh out his thoughts and feelings on his upcoming wedding. I had just finished reading it when he messaged me. During our chat, I joked about how I wanted to ask how he's feeling about getting married but that it's no longer necessary 'cos I already read his Medium post. There's certainly truth to it. I sometimes feel it is redundant to ask what's going on in my friends' lives when they've already updated me (albeit, indirectly) on social media. On some level we know that's not the whole story. But it seems snoopy to ask. Which goes back to me egging my friend to post updates. I have a desire to "keep in touch" and stay connected. To feel as though we are involved in each other's lives. But ultimately, I know all those social media updates would still leave me wanting. And this is why I appreciate his response to me—that is, to take time to talk to me about what's going on in his life. Right now, all I know is he's in Poland, and that's that. But in two weeks, we've scheduled a Skype call. And I can ask him about his trip. And he can ask me how I've been. And I think I prefer this over Facebook statuses and Instagram stories.
