The Dissolution of the Influencer Era

I recently visited the Colosseum in Rome. It is the one place that is a must-go if you are in this beautiful, historical city.  

I'll admit that I had known of Rome as a cultural haven, but sadly I was not quite well-versed with the dark and grotesque history of the Colosseum. Apart from battle re-enactments and other forms of entertainment, this ancient building was used for centuries by Romans for public executions, animal hunting, Gladiator fights and more. These activities were held in a giant amphitheater for viewers to watch and cheer, organized by the king who wanted to distract the poor and unemployed from poverty and unemployment. 

The monument also has secret passageways and underground tunnels where these animals and Gladiators (who were slaves or former slaves) were kept in deplorable conditions. They were socially marginalized, segregated and used as puppets for the entertainment of the public. For more context, watch Ridley Scott's masterpiece epic historical film, Gladiator, as I did after getting back to my hotel room.  

This truth about the Colosseum hit me hard as my husband looked amused that I had not known its history. As we walked through the corridors and arena open for public viewing, I found myself growing more and more solemn and marveling at how human beings could watch slaves tear each other apart for entertainment. Then I realized that human beings are pretty much the same across generations. The Romans had the Colosseum and we have Bigg Boss.  

As I was just making my peace with the follies of the human nature, another debacle hit me in the face as I was left appalled. As we made our way from the corridor towards the arena, which was the main attraction of the Colosseum, we were greeted by giant throngs of people wanting to get glimpses of the arena.  

I am not thrown off by crowds. I'm Indian – it's a way of life for us. But what I found absolutely shocking was people's behaviour. I saw hundreds of people taking photos in the most distasteful manner. From pierced bellies to plunging cleavages to brilliant shiny smiles, nothing was off limits! The ruins of the Colosseum became merely a photoshoot background for people to display their bare waistline on social media (yes, both men and women).  

That was enough to trigger me. Here they were, at one of the most eventful places in Roman history and all they cared about was feeding their own narcissism. It didn't stop at photos. There was an American gentlemen making a vlog and imploring his followers to 'like, share and subscribe for more such "dope" content'. I did not know what to mourn more – the demise of thousands of slaves or the demise of civility. The quest for content creation knows no bounds, and thanks to technology we are both the provider and user of this content and this technology. 

Technology has ushered an era of magnanimity. There is a wonderful quote which says that money doesn't change you, it just magnifies who you are. The same can be said for technology. A lot of content creators are facing the heat today for what they have done, including the kind of content they have put out there for entertainment.  

There is no point in lamenting the sheer idiocy that is served to us on social media platforms. It had always been there to begin with. And the likes of us have always been there to lap it up. Remember that proverbial nosy aunty who loves to see what's cooking in your private domain? Yep, that's all of us! We're the aunties. The difference is that we have forgotten the courtesy in real life in our quest for virtual praise.  

(Picture credit - Pixabay)

The colourful turn that the influencer era has taken is going to get much, much worse. There are of course other avenues that will then swoop in to stir the controversy further and garner views and likes from us aunties.  

The dissolution of the Influencer Era is a farce. It will never happen. There will never be an end to this. This incessant cycle of jealousy, envy, imitation, glorification and joyful revelation in others' downfall is the curse of this generation.   

This curse will outlive us all.