Are we all embarrassed - or is it just me?
I operate on some low level of always embarrassed and have for as long as I can remember. Seared into my memory are clips of awkward situations and dumb comments - some said, others sent, and worst of all, a few recorded on Zoom. Yet here I am still alive and well enough to expose myself to the Internet.
If you’re alive, you might find it’s hard to avoid embarrassment. Now consider our highly visible, digital age, and the chances for mortification rise exponentially. Of course, one could live offline, limit social media, but the Internet is a necessary outlet for many of us - especially in our socially distanced state. Professionally, for those cementing their careers, pivoting to a new path, or launching something new, online can be one of the most effective ways to speed along the process. Romantically, people find love and passion online more than ever. In 2017, ~65% of same‐sex couples and ~39% of heterosexual couples met online, and that was when we could still serendipitously bump into each other in offices and at bars. Socially, the world wide web has a place for even the most niche of interests and it usually comes with an online community to welcome you. (I don’t pretend that there isn’t a fine line between good and bad on the Internet but for these purposes, go with it for now).
The early Internet was made up of these spaces. I think of chat rooms and GeoCities and sometimes wonder if those weren’t the glory days. If you’re feeling particularly nostalgic, a trip through this archive will be a treat. Were we less self-conscious of being ourselves online back then? Before likes put metrics against our creations and asked us to constantly prove our worth. And before algorithms started consolidating content and serving us that which played to their rules. In the current state, we have mass-market creativity - images and content that are sure to please (myself included) but don’t exactly stimulate the senses. This leaves people oscillating between wanting to create something different/strange/new, or simply uploading something they know will “perform.”
This fear of potential embarrassment, how does it change our actions at the micro-level and how does it inform our culture and trends at the macro level? It all ladders up. I have so much admiration for creators, at all levels, putting their truest selves and work out there. Folks who are pushing boundaries and defining contemporary mediums, many of which are still yet to be discovered.
Let us not forget that brands too are afraid of low-performing creative and consumer criticism. Often foregoing a pie-in-the-sky concept for a campaign that is more likely to generate sales, something that looks like something they’ve done before. What they really should be doing is challenging themselves and using their platforms to lead the way. Why not surprise their consumers by sharing a glimpse into their minds. And some brands are! Of those getting on board, some are bringing play to the Internet: Happy Medium’s site makes me quite happy. Bringing play to the real world: A24’s summer screenings brings local campaigns to the next level. And others are going straight strange: just pick any recent KFC campaign. I’m here for it all.
I came across this recently and it really resonated. A simple reminder to all people, creators, brands, and anyone else living in our strange digital age:
Let’s be less embarrassed, life is hard enough as it is.