I'm not sure if posting, continuously, about one's own achievements through social media is driving a shift in our desire to talk about ourselves in a more positive light, or if it is driving the unpleasant change I've been watching in societal approach.
My ire was raised this morning by a contact sharing, again, another piece of news about their winning an award. I've seen similar pieces for four consecutive days now, and I just thought, "Not again."
Is this an indictment of me, and my own frustration with the focus on self that social media has helped to bloom? Is this another symptom of a society that is becoming more and more self-focused, and thereby more self centred? Maybe by providing platforms for people who have always had a high opinion of self, I'm more aware of the number of people who have this view, or am I being unfairly critical of people who have every right to celebrate their success? Bah Humbug.
The current bell curve rise of populism as a political trend is surely linked to people's self interest. If we're accepting of the fact that social media is now a part of our societal DNA, then surely we have to accept that with that comes the eventual splintering, the inevitable fragmentation of communities that have been, up until now, learning to care for each other.
Maybe I'm having a bad day.
