We all are celebrities and all our friends are our fans

Now that the pandemic is almost over, we got back the opportunity to meet others in real life, face to face. Don't confine yourself interacting with others through the internet only.

I know it comes off as a very "duh" statement and it is. But over the last 2-3 years, we have become so accustomed to interacting with each other through social media networks and the general internet that we were kind of forced to choose that as the new norm. Unfortunately, I have noticed that a lot of my peers (including me) are having difficulty going back to the "good old days" of meeting people in flesh and blood and are stuck at maintaining relationships with people only through the web.

Truth is, it takes effort and energy to meet and interact with new people. It also can be unnerving and exciting at the same time, no matter how confident of a person you are. But on the flip side, those interactions are not ephemeral like the ones you carry out on the web. On the Internet, we all are like celebrities and all our peers are like our fans. We only interact with the shell of a person. It's like when we listen to an artist's songs and we feel connected to them through their music but in reality, the artist can be a very different person. But it makes sense that there is a barrier between an artist and their fans since it's a business relationship. But why are we putting the same kind of barrier between ourselves? Between friends that can easily hit each other up and meet in real life? Because of convenience? Most probably but that way we are diluting the bond of a friendship, communicating over distances when there is no need.

There is no need to reduce our friends into numbers and likes when they are living a few blocks down the road. Even 30 minutes of real-life interaction with a friend covers what a 30 days conversation would cover, if it ever could. You don't make memories over social media. 5 years from now, you won't tell your friend "Hey, remember the time I shared that meme and we had a great laugh?". But you both most definitely will remember the time you guys were outing and had a great time. Even if it were just a simple good time.

You don't make memories over social media