I'm so glad I'm not young. By young, I mean a teenager or a twenty-something (tweenager?) in the grip of social media craziness.
I'm glad I didn't have a mobile or a tablet when I was growing up .. I know my mum is glad I didn't either! I'm glad there was no cyber bullying or Snapchat and that I wasn't photographed or filmed whilst under the influence, only to be blackmailed later for the footage to remain undisclosed.
Don't get me wrong, social media has been amazing in so many ways and I'm not sure I could live without it easily. But I do worry about the things people capture on camera these days and how the images can be used as weapons. I was so shocked a few weeks ago to see a girl passed out in a shop and be told that some boys had been filming her in that state for their own gain. She's probably still unaware of being filmed to this day and yet the images could be halfway round the world by now.
I was listening to a podcast at the weekend and they were talking about an idea to use video footage to shame someone into giving up drinking ie. someone would film me, with my consent, whilst drinking all night long and then I would have to watch the footage back. I must admit, my stomach turned when I thought of some of the times I had been drunk and the crazy things that happened. I imagined capturing that then watching it back, and I agree, it would probably be enough to put me off for life!
The crazy thing about alcohol is that it makes you feel invincible even when you're wobbling around like a weeble and your make up is streaming down your face. It makes you think you're interesting when actually you're boring the pants off someone. It makes you unaware of what is going on around you and I'm sure we've all been caught in 'that photo' which would really be better burning on a bonfire!
The great thing about being sober is being present all the time. I love remembering all of the conversations I've had and not odd bits and pieces before the Sauvignon set in and the shots started flowing. I love being able to look at photos the day after the night before and not be worried about what the camera had captured. I'm glad I don't need to worry about watching myself on video falling over or dancing like a muppet or chatting to some random, thinking I'm Gods (dishevelled) gift. In fact, I'm glad to be sober and old(ish).
#day137