For a long time I have tried to stick to doing this blog a certain way. I have tried to do fixed posts, book reviews on a Monday etc but that really isn’t working for me. I have neglected this blog and I think it was trying to force myself into box I have actually ended up avoiding it altogether so from today you are going to see a change.
I was sat in the horse field today thinking about a programme I have been binge watching on Netflix and that is partly what inspired this. The programme is The Bold Type.
(2052) The Bold Type | Official Trailer | Freeform – YouTube
The programme is very much an updated version of Sex And The City. I remember back in the late 80’s and early 90’s watching episodes of Sex and the City and Friends then ringing up friends to talk about it. sometimes we would meet up at one house to watch it together, it was a weekly event. These days it is all different, the idea of waiting for the next episode is something many are no longer willing to contemplate.
This is the era of Netflix and instant gratification, I did it myself, binge watching four series in a few days but it is not just the way we watch TV that has changed. We are more likely to post our opinions on a programme straight to social media than to wait to talk to a real life friend. We don’t have to deal with weekly cliff hangers that provide discussion for the days following an episode, we might even get a little annoyed at having to wait when we reach the end of the series.
I know for many this also translates to books, my daughter will check to see if the full series is available before she starts to read the first book. The word Spoilers is proclaimed on posts all over Facebook when a new episode of a popular series is launched, the majority of people needing to talk but not wanting to spoil it for others. The need to discuss our favourite shows has always been there but social media means we don’t have to hope that a friend likes the same as us, we don’t have to wait for someone else to catch up on the latest episodes. Today we type a few words and there will be a like minded soul out here, and even if it is not on your FB friends list there are other laces like Reddit and forums for everything imaginable where you can reach out to discuss your thoughts and theories.
So many people criticise the internet, focus on the negatives, but the truth is that as long as you are sensible and careful, you can find a community of people who get you within a few clicks. You can find your people, your modern tribe. The internet does not take away the desire for human contact, but it changes is. The need to reach out is no longer just a physical act, it changes the focus to the mental, emotional, and spiritual aspect of our personalities.
The internet like so many other things is a great place if used correctly, so I will be asking friends for recommendations for my next binge watch while I wait for the next series of The Bold Type.
Paula Acton 