Hotel Facebook

We truly have checked into this virtual penitentiary, Hotel Facebook, and are now condemned to never leave

“You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave” are the famous closing lyrics of the 1977 single Hotel California by the Eagles. This classic song describes a surreal journey into the debauched and the hedonistic, and portrays a state of entrapment from which escape is not possible. Fast-forward three decades, and the advent of Facebook has placed hundreds of millions in a somewhat similar predicament as, notwithstanding the arguably positive aspects of this social forum, we seem to have been sucked into a black hole where there is an uncontrollable urge to report our activities, a sort of online gratification. Or, a modern-day version of the ritual of yore of emperors and governors roaming through conquered territories, demanding an audience to spectate their existence and victories.

The ‘Check In’ feature has been the tool of much self-promotion, as even mature and sensible people seem compelled to show off that they are travelling business class, are dining at a fine restaurant, are attending an art show or checking into a hotel at an exotic destination. This writer himself is also, on occasions, guilty of this act that at times can border on pretension. A tool, designed to connect college friends, is now in use by over one billion people intent on letting us know all there is to tell. There is a kind of voyeurism to Facebook as we all like to see what others are doing, and also derive satisfaction from knowing that somewhere out there, someone is viewing what we ate for dinner yesterday or is feeling envious about our recent visit abroad.

One could argue that Facebook has been a boon for the world’s intelligence community as many a user has expressed his or her views, thoughts and sentiments on everything, from their choice of breakfast cereal to the theory of evolution, not to mention their political, religious and social leanings. The next step really has to be frequent reporting on the state of one’s bowel movements! Prospective employers now visit the Facebook pages of candidates in order to gauge more than what is detailed in a curriculum vitae and what can be gleaned from an interview. One’s social activities, pictures and opinions posted, some employers believe, give insights into one’s character, ethical framework and degree of maturity.

What is this urge to share? Why do we retire to the refuge of online social fora? Is it because our physical interactions have become shallow and opportunistic? Is it because our lives are so busy that we don’t have time to meet friends and family? Perhaps. But then how do we explain the lack of time when we spend hours surfing the internet? How do we explain the fact that we still socialise, albeit with our smartphones in our hands and WiFi being a prerequisite to such a gathering? These are questions for social scientists to explore and investigate.

So, far from the warm smell of colitas we find ourselves on a different kind of highway; transported by our smartphones and laptops, and held hostage by a desire to show and tell we have well and truly crossed the doorway into Hotel Facebook. The pink champagne on ice has been substituted by the addiction to viewing, liking and commenting. We truly have checked into this virtual penitentiary and are now condemned to never leave.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 30^th, 2015.

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