How blind are we to the digital reality that reshapes our lives?

How blind are we to the digital reality that reshapes our lives?

I am fed up with this bullshit. Why? Because this is what digital reality looks like, and it looks nothing like I imagined my life to be like.

Online reviews of hotels, restaurants, and all places we want to go to. Google is following closely with each step we take, asking questions about how was the parking situation at the restaurant we went to yesterday. The digital reality is made up of people selling almost everything on Fiverr, from articles, diploma projects and Tinder profile texts.

I am a click away from the new SEO book, which will teach me how to improve my blog and rank on the first page of Google. Instagram is flooding us with kids influencers, selling something through each picture they post, having pics better looking than magazine ads, or some online posters. Each 6th Instagram post I see in my feed has sponsored written on it. (literally)

How blind are we to the digital reality that reshapes our lives? Instagram
… it should say “Sign up and you will be brainwashed with all the paid content we have to use and waste your time. We need you because we are greedy.”

The first thing I do whenever I change my laptop is to install three different ad blockers. That is if I want to keep the little sanity I have left when browsing the internet. Before each Youtube video, there is a commercial which has been locally targetted, as it is in my mother tongue. Videos longer than 20 minutes have commercial breaks. (which you have to watch, whether you like it or not)

The Facebook ads are targeted to show me over and over again, whatever I googled searched. Over and over again. The news website shows me the exact same ads. And sometimes they even show the things I didn’t search for. Things  I only talked about. With the people around me. While my phone was on standby, somewhere nearby. That. Is. Creepy.

I get emails from websites I didn’t even subscribe to, and text messages about the most recent sales the cosmetic stores have. The free apps that I use on my phone show me an ad every 20 seconds that I use them, without being able to skip it for the first 5 seconds.

Each bag that I use or just happen to have in my house has a brand’s name on it, and each product I use has a huge and unnecessary amount of packaging.

To research anything I have to get through half a dozen spammy websites and more tens of minutes which I will never get back.

How blind are we to the digital reality that reshapes our lives? Lack of direction

What bothers me about this digital world we live in?

The lack of direction, perception and meaning. I cannot see a meaning in many products and services available today to us. Like those way-too-many blogs telling others how to build their blog. So much copy-paste. It hurts my eyes.

The vast majority of the internet is made out of copycats: copies of existing content/ideas, in a slightly different shade of editing. I admit there are some cool content creators out there, and it takes time to get there. But I truly dislike all outputs which lack substance, or purpose.

How blind are we to the digital reality that reshapes our lives? coka-cola ad

Stop wasting my time, stupid Coca-cola ads. I will never buy your weird, possibly harmful drink, and that’s that. My vision is flooded every day I go around the city with gigantic posters of your logo, which cover entire buildings. Just the thought that hundreds of people have to live in the shadow of Coca-cola colours makes me sad. They literally do. (In Eastern Europe we still have building-sized ads on flat buildings).

The aggressiveness bothers me. Yes, please proceed and create good, quality ads. Bring value to my life. If you want me as your customer, don’t treat me as your product for you to use my time.

Where does this digital reality come from?

The lack of education, the increase in competition of the companies and bad assessment of the social situation. I don’t believe people need more products to fill their life physically and mentally. This is how we purchase our lives every day.

Just because we are trained to have this compulsive behaviour of buying, doesn’t mean that’s good, or that it cannot change. But it could change through education, which nobody is interested in since the few companies that rule the world are happy just like this — having the masses ignorant and thirsty for more clutter to buy.

I have enough clutter already going on, with my own issues. As no parents were perfect, and no childhood was crisis-free, I am sorting that out and figuring out how to live a conscious and meaningful life. Stay away from me with your fail-proof marketing and bad environment/social/human ethics.

How blind are we to the digital reality that reshapes our lives? The result of the digital reality and flood of marketing

What are the results of this digital madness?

I get tired before finding something useful or that I can relate to.

Each time I set foot outside the house, this immense fog called marketing targets me, and there is no escape. No matter how strong your will is, they will always win. They have all the info about you they need to break you down, piece by piece, and then make you their slave. We have willingly given up our souls.

Taking it back is not an option. Too late now, bye-bye.

But trying to set a limit, a line which we on purpose shall not cross may be achievable. Saying “No” to a bullshit movie (as most are) should be a self-imposed limit. Or resisting to buy that new junk toy called squashy, of which sole purpose is to clutter your life, under the false presumption of a stress reliever. (I have the popcorn one.)

Stop buying crap you don’t need because they won’t stop selling it to you.

Once we all realise that, maybe working in that crappy office job which delivers other crap to other people, won’t seem so indispensable. And we decide to do something more meaningful to us. We’ll all end up dead anyway. Just saying.

No wonder some go crazy and are under the impression they can do whatever they want in life. (aka Donald Trump) But if I look at him from this perspective, I think I admire him. He just decided to have things his way. He got it. Now he is on his way of meeting the dictator of North Korea. I mean, he is like the cool dad most Americans never had.

The bottom line of the digital life, ads, marketing, an overly-aggressive-and-intrusive world

Information gets buried, and we don’t even have time to notice it because of the huge crap that lies on top of it. Without bad, we won’t be able to recognize the good. But enough already.

As I check early the weather online, I was so kindly reminded that I need to buy a sofa, and it was brought to my attention the existence of another sports bets website. (That is because I work for a crypto football manager game, and the algorithm guessed that’s what I browse all day long.)

Google, I hope you read this. And that one day, you will encourage real-life content, useful answers to the many questions people have. Because people like me need to know what to do to have healthier relationships and less stress in their lives. No, we don’t need to be chased by my past week Amazon searches.

PS. I wonder what happens when someone else browses the internet from my laptop. Does that screw with my psychical profile?

How blind are we to the digital reality that reshapes our lives? I am fed up of this bullshit. Why? Because this is what digital reality looks like, and it looks nothing like I imagined my life to be like. Stop buying crap you don't need because they won't stop selling it to you.
Iulia Vasile

Iulia is a travel expert, blogger, engineer, freelance copywriter, and a curiosity-driven personality. She sees travel as the ultimate tool for self-improvement and personal growth, and that's the main topic of her blog, Juliasomething.com.

View stories

Tell me what you think!

4 comments