From # to #

It's crazy to think, even more to say it out loud, but the matter of fact is: there is a war happening.

I'm not into politics or economics, I am a visual communicator - according to my bachelor degree - and an artist - according to myself-. Maybe this is the reason why my biggest question around the historical events that is surrounding us in this precise moment have to do with communication, or at least derive from the ways we comunicate nowadays.

The thought incepted itself in my mind yesterday when a friend of mine was passing me videos about the Ukrainian president. The Instagram profile @elmundo_es (an official Spanish news account) was sharing reels about the war, when I noticed the blue check mark I started scrolling to get a clearer picture on the war. In the feed I stumbled upon a "selfie-style" video of the President showing himself, the Minister and another important member of his party while saying that they were all present, with their troops to go into the war.

Fifteen seconds maybe, so short, simple and precise; a clear message that was over before it begun. A reel that made me realize how quickly we consume content, how quickly we can "get informed", but most of all, how quickly we are ready to pass on to the next reel: A 2 ingredient recipe for fit pancakes #HappyPancakeDay.

We see the news of families separating sending their children or fathers of to war and think "how ancient does this news feel". Immediately after we are watching our favorite influencer dance on Tik Tok and already forgot the war. The reality however, is that sending off family to war is current and is happening. It's real and it is closer than social media makes it seem.

The common topics of today, such as speaking up for one's identity or self love, the focus on diet culture and making advertising more real using real bodies, have made us detach from bigger problems in our present. These conversations have led society to have a more "me"-centric point of view that prioritises the person: well being and mental health, and in some cases even call us to be "selfish" because if we don't do it no one will.

Don't get me wrong, as a woman these new conversations, images and calls to love ourselves for who we are empower me. But, as I sat there watching the Ukrainian president speak to his phone, and to the whole world, I just wondered, how much does this video (in average) really sink in? Who's to say 3 reels after (carefully chosen by the flawless algorithm of Instagram) won't be a forgotten message, or a much lighter message to carry after seeing cute videos of puppies?

Content is created and spread quicker than any kind of virus and it is consumed in the same velocity. Messages that are relevant, helpful and informative become a pill video, a "What is happening in Ukraine for dummies" making us incapable of firstly recognising ourselves as smart enough to understand a political conflict. Secondly reducing a nuclear event to 15 second long video that will be quickly put away in our heads until a we are in a conversation that it is seen as insightful information.

Families saying goodbye to go to war isn't ancient the same way a lettuce bun burger is not a burger. But today, this second affirmation seems more relevant and comforting to listen to. Worldwide pandemics and Nuclear Wars have not been part of the events of generations in the digital reality, today they are but the focused in these past decades "of peace" have shifted from world concerns to self love. As a result the understanding of such events is completely different and seem more of a movie than a reality. They seem more like events on which I watch a few videos to understand and forget about it then a crucial moment in history that is defining our reality.

I guess I could really only think of one thing: is any message really important in our social media reality? Or are we just floating from trend topic too trendy topic with every scroll?