the greatest
Manila, 28 January—Hello folks, happy Sunday! This week I watched a movie, an ugly awards brouhaha unfold on social media, and of course, Mayon's move from Albay to Naga. But we're not getting into all that—instead, some highlights. :)
Of course, my favorite performance is the one without Hugh Jackman. No shade intended; seeing all these people singing together just makes me so weepy! People singing together makes me so weepy—it makes going to church so hard HAHA.
Caught "The Greatest Showman" at the cinemas this week and it was amazing! An original musical based on the life of P.T. Barnum, the movie puts Hugh Jackman's acting-singing-dancing chops front and center as he puts together a truly enjoyable performance from start to finish.
Hugh Jackman is like Meryl Streep that way—I remember watching Mamma Mia! and going, Is there anything Meryl cannot do? This is that movie for me, where Hugh Jackman is concerned.
ALSO! Zac Efron though. Looks like Troy Bolton joined the circus after high school, and I'm glad. (P.S. Zendaya is stunning as well!)
If you have time, catch it on the big screen. The performances are meant to be larger than life.
Is 2018 the year we step away from social media? (Via Longreads)
I've been thinking a lot about how dependent we have become on social media, and how this has caused us much discomfort, anxiety and even unrealistic expectations. In the beginning, I can still remember how, when Twitter and Facebook were first introduced, they were simply nice-to-haves—social media made it easier to stay in touch with friends and loved ones, and provided a platform where it was easy to share photos and videos. That was all it was.
Today though, as companies take advantage of social media, as brands turn to Facebook for customer preference information, as publishers hold onto socmed as their last hope for attention—the place just gets bigger and bigger, and yes, impossible to escape.
I mean: HR uses social media to profile prospective hires. I have already lost count as to how many meetings I have attended where Projects are only as good as how they perform on specific social media metrics. It's what has driven many publishers to resort to click-baity headlines. I've also heard friends pass judgment on people who are not on social media, asking things like, Do they have something to hide?
It's as if your personal presence is no longer enough to establish anything. We curate online personas to come across as better persons. We take great pains in ensuring our online counterparts are the best versions of ourselves. I am guilty on all counts, but this doesn't mean I'm entirely sold on it; with each passing day I get this sinking, helpless feeling that we are at the behest of one totally unreasonable monster.
I read in a story by Wired that backlash to technology has always been a thing, and that smartphones are just our latest scapegoats. This story recalls how our parents and grandparents, too, were worried about the effects of the introduction of the telephone, TV, and rock and roll. This particular portion has struck me the most:
Any new technology whose effects are unknown bears careful study, but that study should start with a blank slate and an open mind. The question should not be framed by what harm these devices and technologies cause but rather by an open-ended question about their long-term effects.
Here's to asking better questions.