Documenting life
So much has happened since my last post in May that it felt like I lived for a whole year, when it has only been about 3 months. I am finally back home in Cagayan de Oro. Now that life's pretty calm for now (and by calm, I mean no travel scheduled any time soon), I'm slowly regretting I didn't document as much as I would have wanted. I literally bring my camera everywhere I go, but I always forget that I have it.
I think it stems from this idea in my head that once I take out my camera or phone to take a photo, the magic of the moment disappears. It now becomes 'content' that should be published online; otherwise, it didn't happen at all. In addition, the way the term 'content' is being used in the current internet landscape rubs me the wrong way. I guess it's the fact that people can now get paid just by creating content, and it's become more difficult to believe in the integrity of people now that there's money involved. How can we be sure if this product is really good if they were sponsored? How do we know if what they put out is actually true, or are they just manipulating consumers of their content into engaging with the post, and thus increasing their stats/revenue?
Recently, I have been trying to live a life "offline". Now that I am working from home and have better control of my time, it's easy for me to get distracted and choose to postpone tasks. So yes, I once again deactivated my Facebook and Instagram. My friend said it wasn't necessary; I could just delete the apps. Well, true, but I guess I'm also trying to live out a certain principle: I don't want to treat my life stories as content that fuels the machine.
But as someone who grew up on the internet and has documented my life through blogs and photos, I realized that it was through sharing moments online that I developed a better appreciation for what has happened in my life. It was also my creative outlet. This is where I'm conflicted.
Luckily, I have this blog. I can have the best of both worlds: a space for me to create, and at the same time, I get to share it with a community not incentivized to churn out content.