All about living in Social networks and virtual reality

Courtesy

It was an early night in an unfamiliar neighbourhood. I had to meet friends for a drink at a restaurant I had never been to before. The directions were vague and I found myself driving in circles sooner than I hoped. To avoid stressing my date, you know the story about men and directions, I did the sensible thing. Stop the car and ask for directions. It appears that the average Kenyan is not aware of anything that goes on outside a 200-metre radius. The first man I asked hadn’t the foggiest clue about what I was talking about. Nonetheless, that did not stop him from offering some free advice. Short of swearing by his mother’s name he insisted that there was only one restaurant in the neighbourhood as far as he was concerned. Despite reassuring him that it was not the destination I sought, he stood his ground and appeared offended I doubted his knowledge. Facebook poll Eventually my date decided to use a Google maps app and before you know it, we were directed to the destination around the bend, less than a kilometre away. I was happy that I did NOT have to resort to a Facebook poll. That is new way of making a decision by consensus. When seeking directions, ask online friends for help. “Anyone know where Rudy’s restaurant is? Lost in Karen #misadventure.” The first response will have nothing to do with the question. “Sasa OP, it has been a minute.” Self-promotion The next few all join in your frustration, “Always wondered where they moved to #clueless?” before someone eventually recommends an app that would help which elicits a new discussion about its key features. By the time you get your directions, 30 comments later, you would have had the time to get a security update, the latest news on world events, last nights’ football results and who controversial blogger Robert Alai annoyed. We are the generation that is compelled to share every thought. Self-promotion is the name of the game. The blatant the better. It is okay to boast when you are having fun. Despite the fear of missing out, you cannot keep up with all the status updates of all your friends, monitor your likes, respond to comments and every other notification and message beeping for your attention. Therefore, this Christmas season, don’t tweet, don’t text, don’t keep telling people what you are doing. Just try and find a life outside your smart phone. MERRY CHRISTMAS.

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