I remember one quiet evening long ago, I was with some friends atop the rooftop deck of a tall building, admiring the city streets below, magnificently-illuminated by the blinking yellow and red taillights of a thousand cars. From that height, the street noise was almost down to a drone-like hum and I recall feeling distant, as though we were purposely-perched high above to be safe from the breathing and humming dangerous animal which lurked below.
I can only think, imagine how this looked in the daytime. While the heat of the sun would be boring into our skin, this long highway snake, clearly visible now, as though naked before us, would be crawling as it makes its way across to what was once called by Imelda as the city of man.
It was then I realized, indeed, inside all these cars that make up the snake, are people! Thinking, breathing, speaking people. Now, isn’t that something? By no stretch of anyone’s imagination could we picture what these faceless beings could be thinking and talking about at the moment. In the heat and tiny space of each vehicle, what interesting things are these creatures up to, as they move in opposite directions?
The internet highway is one such animal. While many perceive it as a mere roadway where one could get lost in, its many surreal side streets and roundabouts breathe with a life of its own, ironically powered by us, the millions of people who act as its coal source for its continuance.
In the same way, can we imagine what everyone is thinking and talking about at the moment? Unlike looking down from a tall skyscraper, the digital highway swallows us whole to witness first-hand, anything we wish to see. Take one insignificant random post as example. It could be an innocent reporting of one just-concluded sporting event. Laid open for us are the comments from people; colorful and telling of how they’re feeling in the moment. While, there are those who post pleasant notes and greets, one has to also realize, there are no filters here. Threads are also mixed with a raw spewing of whatever else is on people’s mind and most are not pleasant.
If it were only possible, could anyone look from a bird’s eye view how this highway looks? The hum might still be there, but if one wished, unlike the high rise where I was earlier, one could just dive and glide in as though with wings, to listen to each individual unit that’s spread along its wide web of highways. Likened to the universe, it may be expanding and eating its way, not only into our time, our everyday lives and being. A rather dangerous rabbit hole to be in perhaps, but what do I know. Often, atop a tall building in the real world is still the better option. Oh well, that’s second to lying on the beach (but that’s another tale). The stars or the clouds covering them might inspire a story or two. There’s little noise at night atop roof decks unlike the many platforms offered by the net. Incidentally, I’m wondering, why do they call it the net again?
