There is no mystery greater than this: Being in reality we seek to gain reality. We think there is something hiding our reality and it must be destroyed before the reality is gained. A day will dawn when you will laugh at your past efforts, that which will be on the day you laugh is also here and now. – Ramana Maharshi
All around us the world is changing quickly. Historically, fast changes like we’re witnessing have resulted in profound shifts in art and culture, new questions about how we live and why, and even existential contemplations about wrong timelines and a nostalgia for the not so distant past. Yet nobody likes to revisit the past and sulk in regret, and people yearn for the positive and optimistic pieces of information that may help guide their choices for the future. Amen to that. Nothing in our world is more positive and full of optimism than our great digital performers, our super selfie wonders, the digital nomad philosophers of our time who roam this great earth in search of the perfect vlog setting to elicit the jealously and envy of their millions of disciples.
In ancient Greece philosophers were revered, they were celebrated for their clarity of reason and logos, their objectivity and wisdom and had tremendous influence over the population. Today we celebrate our own philosophers, visionaries and mavericks who also have tremendous influence over the population. Instead of deep insights into one’s character or morals or concepts like justice and democracy, they offer us so much more than those philosophers of Ancient Greece.
Watching one of them pull a bikini strap from her hip while tilting her head back into the sunlight, or swing from a rock cliff for the perfect magic hour shot to influence others and gain clout is something as a society we just can’t put a value on. That’s something for marketing companies and talent agents to do. As mere mortals we are left to observe with awe and wonder at all their spectacular talents and abilities and simply click that like button to show just how much we love their digital performance.
But it is not enough anymore to simply click that like button to “show some love”. The beautiful bastards, or “followers” of one digital cult or another must “smash that like button” to show their admiration for the spectacle of digital magnificence that will be on display even if they are yet to witness it. They are so certain it will be terrific because they are a dedicated follower who “activates those notification bells” to be alerted each time a new performance is transmitted. The activation a Pavlovian trigger for the follower to reflexively obey in their desire to be influenced.
The influencer is neither human nor chimera. These digital Gods levitate above us mere mortals with their performances. They can snap their fingers and change wardrobes instantly while singing an eighties pop tune they just heard for the first time ten minutes before they began to choreograph their routine. They can make objects move before the camera, alter their physical appearances instantly removing any unwanted natural blemishes and socially inconvenient birth defects. They are chameleon magicians capable of inspiring millions of strangers around the world who after smashing that like button are left to contemplate the single greatest question people have to contemplate today: To be or not to be, influenced?
It is dangerous to refuse to be influenced. This is a reckless and isolating choice one must not make lightly without first considering the ramifications. Choosing not to be influenced means choosing to devote attention to those who are not chameleon magicians with millions of followers. This will result in fear of missing out on their performances, pop culture staples worthy of being emulated if not simply watched over and over again for the sheer beauty and wonder of the creation. This choice not to be influenced will result in social isolation and will result in strange looks from the masses of the influenced who cannot ponder any of the reasons why one would refuse such a state of euphoria in the presence of digital greatness.
Not all performances are feats of physical transformation and wonderous spectacle. Some require the subtlety of simply writing a script to be read to the audience as a voice over. These are usually profound contemplations of a journey in life and the present state of the world as only the eyes of an influencer can see it.
Take the young Canadian couple who perform under the moniker “Boho Beautiful” on YouTube and risked it all years ago to transmit yoga routines and bohemian travel adventures to their audience of millions. This was most definitely not an opportunity to exploit the figure of the female half of the duo by squeezing her svelte figure into revealing bikinis and sports bras to contort her body into yogic poses to send their armies of reddit coomers into a frenzy of orgasmic release.
She is so much more than her body. When she’s not tanned and sweaty flashing her artificially enhanced breasts or thrusting her camel-toed mons pubis to the sky she is busy saving the world with her cameraman boyfriend because both are devout vegans and if there’s one thing we know about vegans besides how they’re saving the world, it’s that they really really care that you know about them being vegans.
But pity the fool who thinks their limitations stop there.
