digital disconnect

inundation of an intellectual persuasion
each day, all day...we are
force-fed information.

take it in, let some go....
what do you engage in?

it's all up to you,
depending on what it is...
that is your infatuation.

what is this society,
that we now dwell in?

an approval-based, surface-world
where the number of followers you have
directly equates to how important you are
in the genetic make-up of society?

a world where we are so
deeply entangled and entrenched in....
.... voyeurism and watching others' lives
...fall apart.

No one wants to focus inward,
to consult their own darkest demons
and contemplate their deepest fears.

No...no, no, no....we live off, LIVING OFF
other people...
other people's happiness, their struggles
their hurt, pain and tears...

we'd rather watch
"reality television", which should
{more accurately be called "surreal life"}
because that's not REALITY, we're taking in...
that's the Real Housewives of whichever County,
or some other pseudo-reality nonsense...

it's an odd turn of events, to me...
..nowadays people don't truly engage with each other
they safely observe and evaluate from a distance.

No phone calls, just texts...
no letters, just "like"s and 'favorite's.
no personal touch or hug...
just a digital high-five, or
happenstance...a detached
"i see you there"
"i like that thought"
"i give you my social-media following"
and whatever other unspoken, inherently understood
social-networking nod is necessary at the given moment.

it's all so crazy, so cold and technical...
so detached,
this digital disconnect.