SUDDENLY, I have noticed more than half of the video reels I received on my social media for the past two days have mostly been about affirmations. Videos like ‘If you listen to this one musical note for several seconds, you’ll receive sudden blessings the next morning’ and that sort of thing. Some promise if you listen to and save a particular message, you will become a recipient of cash or good luck in the days ahead.
Almost like a digital fortune cookie, these new come-ons are. A word of warning however, most of these posts also come with threats like, if you ignore this message, then it’s best to prepare because karma is a b__. That’s verbatim for you, plain as can be, and no sugar-coating. A friend I shared this with even couldn’t believe how it’s really worded.
In another vein, a fellow musician not too long ago told me about these supposed new-age methods that were supposed to reinforce positive thinking. I too have heard and read it, but only on social media. In a nutshell, their message is clear: if you think about negative things, that’s all you’ll ever attract. On the other hand, if one only focuses on retaining a positive outlook, not only will that bring in all the good your way; that mindset will likewise attract good company for you too.
I know some who like to tread along the lines of “What have I got to lose? So, they just play along anyway. Inasmuch as I want to believe, the little devil in me always begs to ask, what’s the catch? What are those people who propagate these online probes getting in return?
Then, I remembered. It happened one night, I was attracted to a Tibetan chime which, if listened to for a few secs promised that it would bring in a good night’s sleep. What was I thinking, I even went as far as saving it in my ‘Only me’ folder! By tracing back that far, I’ve no more questions now, your honor. It’s affirmation galore parading as fast as I could swipe left. Even if I right-clicked and answered the pop-up query, ‘Why am I seeing this?’, then ticked that I didn’t want such messages in the future, it’s all too late already. I’ve sealed my online fate. And everyone knows, as online algorithms go, when it rains, it pours.
Now I know why whenever I tag or send a link to my partner on any topic that might interest her or both of us, she never opens it. What she does instead is ask me when she comes home later, “What was that about?” In our household, what follows is like a worn-out script: a little boy who’s been naughty is reprimanded for clicking “Likes” left and right as though they were individual bubble wraps one likes to pop with glee. Bop. And bop some more.
