I share, therefore I am

“Cogito ergo sum” or, in English, “I think, therefore I am”, said René Descartes, the 17th-century French philosopher.

TThat has changed now changed: today it’s more like “I share, therefore I am”. We share, and are being shared, from the cradle to the grave and that’s how we prove to ourselves that we are living.

As I scroll down my Facebook feed, I see a picture of a newborn baby curled up against her mother’s chest. According to British research carried out by The Parent Zone Nominet, this baby will be on social media platforms approximately 973 times before the age of five. As I scroll down a little further, I see a picture of a memorial ceremony in remembrance of someone whom I do not even know.

I usually share pictures when I come across or experience something that’s particularly great or beautiful. When I plan a trip, I am already contemplating what kind of picture will trigger the jealousy of my socalled friends. Then, at my destination, I take hundreds of shots to make sure that there is going to be at least one that is worth publishing. Actually, it’s the most important mission I embark on, to have the evidence that I was there.

After my travels, there are times when I don’t remember what the places I’ve been to actually looked like. It’s more what I saw through the camera lens. But why can’t I just live the moment? Why should our memories be less precious than the photographic proof?

I think I should put the phone aside once in a while and experience the world through my eyes rather than through the lens of a camera because, in the end, living is not a competition. The worth of a life is not measured by the amount of ‘likes’ we get when we share something − we should be living just for ourselves.