Pascal Derrien

7 years ago · 2 min. reading time · ~10 ·

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Diary Of a Social Media Hermit and Digital Self-Obsessed

Diary Of a Social Media Hermit and Digital Self-Obsessed

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I read in a reputable Information technology magazine that the cat is the most popular pet on the internet by a very long shot over his direct canine competitors. Now I did not know cats were on internet but if I was a cat it is highly probable that I would not have a presence or even get access to Social Media outlets.

The thing is, I am not a cat, and now that this point is clearly established what is the kitty thingy got to do with digital obsession you may ask, I was thinking that maybe and only maybe some of us behave like felines when it comes to screen consumption and who knows maybe you do too. Let’s find out.

Like Cats and humans have been associated for nearly 10000 years nowadays it seems that our association with anything square or rectangle have led devices to become an extension of our arms and for some unlucky ones it seems it has replaced some of the dormant brain cells that would have previously been left alone for a snooze.

Like Cats conserve energy by sleeping for an average of 13 to14 hours a day, the bloggers and other digital foot soldiers seem to make a point about undertaking daily expeditions thru the outlets of their choice and more than one can be caught burning the midnight oil with their favourite obsession.

Did you know that a group of cats is called a clowder, normally cats don’t do or have a herd mentality except in some very specific cat’s community I am thinking of feral cat’s colonies namely but in digital land for example it is amazing how many people get smitten by some individuals. There is a high level of naivety at times than can be perceived in the way they worship every coma uh sorry I meant every comment :-) No questions asked alleluia!!!

As you know cats can be lethal hunters and very sneaky, there is a lot of meow in social media land, trolling has become a past time for some and it is not rare or unusual to witness some major fall out between individuals, if you add a bit of tribalism and a parochial attitude to the mix you just obtain a digitally exported version of real life on your screen.

Like cats have powerful night vision, digital slaves spend long evenings staring at their devices, some pushing it thru the night and I am told in some cases the most irreducible ones even pursue their elusive quest until dawn, it seems that entire colonies of digital quadrupeds have an almost incestuous relationship with their ‘’sleeping tablets’’, what is it that maintains the adrenalin to be always on the lookout for an update on a shallow status or the urge to fuel a screen with non-eventful comments

Sadly, enough older cats can at times act aggressively towards kittens.New and talented comers are not always welcomed, some want the gig for themselves and indeed adore the seldom fact of the stage presence and are so attention seeking oriented that they would love nothing more nothing less than being able to dance on their own

Truly enough cats spend a large amount of time licking their coats to keep them clean. Some people are clearly obsessed by their own profile if I judge by how much time they spend polishing and updating numerous tag lines and profile photos, is it attention seeking or a need for recognition that push some individuals to let people know every move in their life?    

Surrounded by likeminded people, deep down most know fairly well that they spend way too much time with their new found addiction, some if they are brave enough mention detox but it is only a mere attempt to tame the fear of obsession but alas in those cases it is already too late.

We could speak about the fact that perception is no reality, that curiosity killed the cat and all that jazz but more fundemantally today I want to ask this quintessential question.

What type of digital animal are you?




Sources

Quick facts about cats

Photo Credit

45news web content

PS: My nickname is KAT J


Bebee Only Post

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Comments

CityVP Manjit

7 years ago #32

#54
Stimulating reflection my dear Pascal Derrien - we have had discussion in the collective psyche way before the rise of the Internet, from the halycon days of the 60's. Gerald Hecht posted a picture of Bob Dylan in one of his buzzes dated 1966. Those of us who were 5 years or older in 1966 obviously lived through that very time but in the context of today that was 50 years ago. So we know that discourse and discussion has been the prevalent reality for over 50 years and not just the 25 years the web celebrates as its anniversary http://www.webat25.org/ whether it is 20 or 50 years of stimulating discussions, what have discussions achieved when we individually turn the television on - only to see that discussions in 2016 look like they have actually regressed from discussions back in 1966. Back then even the Beatles were singing "Think For Yourself" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UilX-LIyLrQ and later The Who exclaimed "Won't Get Fooled Again" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHhrZgojY1Q and then the decades went on decade after decade until you and I Pascal have arrived fully alive and alert in this decade we share here together. What happened? We must have had 50+ years of discussions where the finger got pointed everywhere but to the person who should reflect most on the discussion, the person who initiated the discussion which is individually all of us - and so Roger Daltry sings "the world looks the same and history has not changed'. When you pose the question "fundamentally today I want to ask this quintessential question" [Quote] - it is the thinker in you and thinker and action within me. For me this is a stimulating reflection for the present moment of who we are now rather than those 50 year+ of stimulating discussions, which is "the same as it ever was".

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #31

#53
when commentators are way smarter than I am it makes it an interesting , (kool maybe not :-) ) and stimulating discussion :-) CityVP Manjit

CityVP Manjit

7 years ago #30

As a digital animal I am a virtual cat, maybe not a cool cat but I have literally given myself 9 lives https://twitter.com/CityVP I am definitely not a Digital Dog - the kind that we socially need to train where to poop and that becomes an obedient slave of its master - in that most crony kind of way, but free will is free will and if it is controlled by a pied piper then that is the pied piper's business and not mine to worry about. What people want to do online is what they are free to do, but mostly they don't seem free. Tribalism is our animal self expressing itself and here the alternative to being a digital dog (follower) or a virtual cat (explorer) is a digital ape and that is consistent with what tribes have always been - there is no renaissance in that, it is our attachment to the past because not every human being is interested in evolving, they will find the century that their mindset and soul is most comfortable with and remain there - here the tribalism of the Taliban is real yet they know how to USE social media. You said : " if you add a bit of tribalism and a parochial attitude to the mix you just obtain a digitally exported version of real life on your screen." [QUOTE from Pascal Derrien Leinster] I tend to think that what is exported is a the abject physical reality transformed into the abject virtual reality, again if I choose to live in the present moment then that is my choice, and that is what really makes me a virtual cat, not my creative 9 lives of exploration, all of which ensure that my branded life is cut up into tinier pieces - and perhaps in cutting that up, I get to keep myself. No promise of that in a world predicated and dominated by the psyche of brand identity and playing the brand game.

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #29

#51
thanks Sarah (Sally) McCabe for reading this light hearted take on Social Media :-)

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #28

#48
my son who is also a kat loves giraffes and their ''salade de feuilles'' good choice and I do agree with it maybe I am a cat with giraffe spots as I tend to adopt the same attitude , thanks for dropping by Deb Helfrich :-) and reading this light hearted take on social media

Mohammed Abdul Jawad

7 years ago #27

#45
Pascal Derrien With your appreciation, I feel honored. :)

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #26

#44
Hi always the ability to come up with the right angle on your comments :-) last sentence is very relevant :-)

Mohammed Abdul Jawad

7 years ago #25

Aha...Pascal Derrien What a semblance of human beings with that of cats! Aren't we humans, with excessive and diverse addictions, altered our own human identity? Perhaps, we have become digital beings, with our unmindful, excessive love for digitization in our lives. With proper usage and interactive connectivity, we ought to behave ourselves and reap the benefits of social media.

Mohammed Abdul Jawad

7 years ago #24

Aha...Pascal Derrien What a semblance of human beings with that of cats! Aren't we humans, with excessive and diverse addictions, altered our own human identity? Perhaps, we have become digital beings, with our unmindful, excessive love for digitization in our lives. With proper usage and interactive connectivity, we ought to behave ourselves and reao the benefits of social media.

Lisa Gallagher

7 years ago #23

#41
LOL, I can't disagree with you Pascal Derrien!

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #22

#39
thanks Lisa Gallagher indeed you have unusual patterns for somebody leaving on that side of the pond :-) #40 the kat says thanks

Lisa Gallagher

7 years ago #21

PS: the header photo of the cat, COOL!!

Lisa Gallagher

7 years ago #20

Well what are the choices if someone like myself tends to be a night owl? Oh wait, I'm an Owl! I don't dislike cats but I also don't have great understanding of them either- with the exception of your great explanation above Pascal Derrien. You sure drew some great analogies. I want to think I'm the loner at night, not preying on anyone and hoping sleep will find me before the sun rises ;-)

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #19

#13
thanks Bob I mean Gerald Hecht :-)

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #18

#14
thanks Pablo , my cat says thumbs up and told me to click like too I just work here she actually wrote the post :-) but you must understand that since you are a cat :-)

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #17

#15
thanks Gert Scholtz funny I have not thought about the Owlers even though we went to wildlife park and meet an owl who sttared at me so humanly I swear she was saying I am glad you are off this laptop mate :-)

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #16

#16
thanks Jim Murray it is highly probable that some posts only appeal to wolves lately those guys are patient and have longer attention span when it comes to chase good stuff :-) thanks for dropping by my post is full of contradiction like social media I suppose :-)

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #15

#18
hey Franci Eugenia Hoffman thanks for dropping by my basket and play with the mice :-)

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #14

#26
now that is interesting how come i have thought about that and night owlers :-) Don Kerr :-)

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #13

#27
Dean Owen I am a Kat whisperer according to m y daughter, very fluent in the language of autonomy and doing my own stuff on my terms :-)

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #12

#28
Chas Wyatt you comment is way better than my article it does sum up the whole thing :-) thanks for the video too :-)

Dean Owen

7 years ago #11

I guess we all have a bit of feline in us then! What kind of digital animal are you Pascal? (thought I'd turn the table since I have no idea how to answer that question) :)

don kerr

7 years ago #10

And to answer your question - I am probably a bat. Love to flit about the site at night when the kids are down and I have some quiet time to fire up the social media sonar.

don kerr

7 years ago #9

Mmmmm. I love me a big old bowl of Cat Clowder. Put some of those crackers in it and that's some good eatin". Talk soon Pascal Derrien

Jim Murray

7 years ago #8

Interesting post Pascal. You have touched on something quite relevant. I think it's very odd and yet strangely typical that none of the commenters actually answered your question. What kind of animal are you? Either they don't know, aren't willing to fess up or simply never read that far in your post. This very much appears to be the way of social media today. Everybody wants to participate but relatively few actually do. FYI I have always imagined myself to be a wolf.

Gert Scholtz

7 years ago #7

Pascal Derrien Great Buzz. Do I fall foul of your cats if I am a night owl?

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #6

#10
thanks Julie Hickman social media and cats are indeed full of contradictions :-) I think I am going to be isolated on the cat front but who know Giraffes may come to my rescue :-)

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #5

#8
Thanks Aaron Skogen for dropping by and interesting cohabitation in your household :-) , me and my cat Evie have some relationship problems with dogs but lthats Ok compared to chimpmunks :-)

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #4

#6
yes there is some kind of unexplicable loneliness with social media and I also love to contradict myself :-) , not sure Bob wrote about that one maybe he should... in the distance Gerald Hecht

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #3

#3
ah yes look familiar think I saw you once :-) Aurorasa :-)

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #2

Meow and thanks I hope I was barking at the right tree :-)
Well, Pascal Derrien, that's a puzzlement for sure! I think I'm more dog-like than cat-like; I have had both as pets, but I much prefer the socialness of dogs. Interesting question, and I'm looking forward to the responses from others!

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